Good Morning, Sunshine!

My house faces northeast. My kitchen is in the front of my house so my beloved new kitchen windows provide an excellent view which, thankfully, includes the morning sunrise. The morning sun, in part, was the inspiration for getting the new windows; I love morning light! I can't get a lot of full impact sunlight on my person, but the early morning light is friendly enough and it fills me with joy. Standing at the window sipping coffee, I was witness to another glorious morning making itself known. This time of year, high summer, the sun comes up (as seen from my vantage point) behind a couple of tall trees. First the pink glow, then the golden rays peeking between the leaves create a dramatic foretaste of the majesty to come when the sun finally rises above the treetops and lights up the world.

The morning light being more gentle allows me to attend to my garden. This morning's watering duties revealed a need for attention. A few days ago I pulled up all the Brussell sprouts and cabbage. They had been plagued by a mysterious pest that rendered them unusable. I also removed the floundering tomato plants. It hurt to pull up the plants I had cared for so long. I kept telling myself there was a reason Jesus cursed the fig tree that did not have fruit, so it made no sense to waste precious water on plants that could not produce edible food for my family. The upside was that it freed up garden space for more beans and Swiss chard. I sowed seeds for both and prayed for a bountiful harvest.

This morning I found a lot of the Swiss chard seeds exposed on top of the soil. My Honey watered the garden the other evening for me. He was not aware the newly sown chard seeds were very particular and easily disturbed. When planted, they are covered in very shallow soil. Consequently, the very water they need to germinate can expose them, rendering them useless.

They are unusual looking little suckers to begin with but blend easily with the compost and mulch mixed in the soil. Once I spotted the first one I began the search and rescue mission for as many as I could find. I simply pushed them back into the soil and covered them again. I had already watered that area, so I was careful not to disturb their ground. This is the first year of growing this healthy and beautiful veggie, so it has been a learning experience from the start. The first batch of chard is doing well, but I did notice that it grew in sporadic patches. Now I know why. The new seeds were planted in and around the more mature chard. Planting in intervals will assure a continued bounty into the late fall. Assuming, of course, I can keep the seeds in place long enough to grow!

Do you feel a parable coming on? You should, you know I love them! This one is just too obvious for words.........but that won't stop me.

Luke 8:4-15 When a great multitude came together, and people from every city were coming to him, he spoke by a parable. "The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it. Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and brought forth fruit one hundred times."

Jesus used a subject matter that was relevant to the people and their lives; planting seed and growing food. He wanted them to understand and grasp the concept. After all, he went right on to explain it. Different people respond differently when confronted with the truth. Some of the sown seed (representing the Word of God) is eaten by birds (snatched away by satan). Some falls on shallow soil and fails to survive in the hot sun (hearers not rooted in the truth). Some is choked by thorns (cares and desires of this life). But some of the seed falls on good soil and produces a crop (hearers who accept God’s truth and produces spiritual fruit).

Having a garden is like being able to put your hands on this parable; it's all right in front of you, every aspect of it. You can dig into it and learn more all the time. God is everywhere; in the sunrise His majesty, power and life giving energy show us every day that He will not fail to show up. He's always there, just as the sun is always shining. The garden provides food we need to live and its valuable life lessons are ever present; we just need to be 'hearers who accept God's truth' and receive them.

Look around, People! You can see God in everything if you want to. As for me and my house, we want to!