What a beautiful spring day! I’m at home in the garden trying to continue social distancing. Yesterday was perfect for planting my tomatoes. My grandfather Van Sickle always said to wait until after my mother’s birthday to set out the tomatoes to avoid frost. Well Mom turned 86 on Friday so the time was right.
At the end of March, I decided to start my tomatoes in containers rather than buy the plants. I’d read that they might be in short supply due to the quarantine so why not try growing them from seed? With a little TLC, they did quite well but now was the time to get them in the ground before the predicted rain.
My neighbor, Josephine, always started her garden plants indoors. I remember seeing a wide variety of vegetables positioned in the sunlight in the front room of her farmhouse. Jo and I shared a garden for seven summers when we lived next door to her and her husband, Dick.
I use the word ‘share’ liberally since in truth she did the majority of the hard work. Oh, I planted and harvested but Jo did most of the tedious weeding while I was off doctoring. I remember seeing her out in the garden very early in the morning when it was still cool. She used the old Farmer’s Almanac as her guide for planting and composted long before it was in vogue.
Over the years, I learned a wealth of valuable information from Jo. Though much of it had nothing to do with gardening. Jo taught me about the importance of hard work and perseverance. She showed me the merit of giving in the little things of life even when she had little to give. Dedication and loyalty to others were a part of her character.
Jo’s kitchen and her garden served as her classroom. There she modeled the love of Christ with her worn arthritic hands buttering a piece of white bread for one of my kids. Hers was a ministry of ‘doing’, not preaching. But I have no doubt that she’s sitting in heaven with Jesus right now.
I’d like to think that there are gardens that need tended even in heaven. Perhaps someday I’ll find my neighbor, Jo at home in the garden once more. Then we’ll have all the time in eternity to catch up where we left off.
