|
He who plants beneath the sod,
Truly shows a faith in God . . .
--Author Unknown
Mulch makes me happy.
Mulch and sunshine and spring breezes and green plants sprouting--all
make me feel lighter, more at ease, part of the “circle of life.”
Plant a
seed, give it water and warmth of sunshine, and it will become--a fruit,
a vegetable, a flower, an herb. Tuck a root in the chilling earth in the
fall, and come spring, following days of rain, it will sprout forth with
new life, a new shape, a new part of the give and take that is nature.
A
gardener--like a farmer--has faith. We have faith that this small seed
will be nurtured in the darkness of the earth, survive the elements of
the sky, avoid serving as lunch or dinner for animals and insects, and
become something that will nourish us.
Imagine
expecting such performance from a child.
Imagine
expecting such achievement from a community.
Still, a
gardener has faith.
Faith that
the earth is rich with nutrients and enriching minerals. Faith that the
rains will be steadily quenching, not pounding and heavy, that the sun
will provide an easy warmth, and not a scorching heat. Faith that
animals and insects are kept at bay by establishing boundaries, careful
planning, and gentle tending.
Now, imagine
such an environment for a child.
For any
person who makes up part of a community.
Community
volunteers are gardeners. They plant seeds and spend time tending and
try to provide a quenching, warm experience to serve and honor the
community around them.
Parents and
teachers are gardeners. Their student, their child is a seed, or a bulb
that has been given the nutrients of an education and is expected to
grow and bloom among the winds and rains and insects of the world.
Business owners are
gardeners. They take personal risks and dedicate hours of time to
provide a service the community needs-- often spending a lifetime in
this service having faith that the community, in turn, will sustain
them.
Now that the
rain has finally stopped, and the sun has come to shine, we’re facing
several major community events planned to serve and enrich our
community.
This weekend
is graduation, Upper West Fork Park Bluegrass Festival, and dedication
of Heritage
Village
at Calhoun
County
Park.
Next week will be Calhoun County Wood Festival, and next thing it will
be July, and the annual high school reunion.
If you
choose to sit at home, and not enjoy at least a few of these events, you
choose to deny yourself the nutrition of the community. And you choose
not to support the graduates, the volunteers, the festivals.
Next thing
you know, all the nutrients will be gone. The garden will wither, and
bloom less, and produce smaller fruit.
But a gardener has
faith.
Faith that
people will plant blooming flowers in their yards to beautify the
community. Faith that people will continue serving their community, and
that they will provide a warm temperate environment for each other.
Faith that the community will, in turn, grow and contribute to the
environment as well.
A gardener has faith.
|