Pear Tree Lessons

What we sow today can last for generations.

On a recent visit to my parents’ house, I was delighted to learn that the pears were ready. If a stranger were to look at their pear tree, they would likely conclude it’s the ugliest tree they have ever seen and to the casual observer it probably is. My daddy has had to stake and tie the branches up because they are too week to hold the fruit.

The tree itself is covered in lichen and it truly looks like a good puff of wind would blow it right over, but that tree represents a beautiful picture of faith.

My grandmother planted that tree well over 50 years ago. She had an amazing green thumb and when she and my granddaddy built the house they planned to retire in, she lovingly planned and planted trees and bushes all over their property. She even had a pond built because she loved to fish. But, my grandmother never got to live in the house, she went home to be with Jesus before they ever moved in, one month before I was born.

I never got to meet her. Yet, I see her all over the property. There are azaleas, camelias and a wide variety of bulbs and other things she planted that still bloom. Her great grandchildren fish in that beautiful pond and my brother, her grandson, delights in fishing as much as she ever did.

And then there’s the pear tree. The spindly pear tree that she planted with her own hands, all those years ago, looks like it’s barely hanging on. It would fool the casual observer, because as frail as that tree looks, it produces so many pears, that it can hardly remain standing. The fruit is misshapened. You would probably never pick it up if you saw it in a store, but you would be missing out. Those odd looking pears are the most delicious pears I have ever eaten, sweet and amazingly juicy.

Every year when I learn that the pears are ready, I am reminded that we all will leave some type of legacy from our time spent here on earth. We all plant whether we intend to or not. Sometimes it’s physical planting like that pear tree and sometimes it’s a spiritual planting. We all sow seeds. We decide what kind they are. We can sow seeds of hope, love, faith, peace, patience and kindness or we can sow seeds of anger, hate and fear.

And just like that pear tree, what we sow, can live for generations after we are gone. The pear tree also reminds me that we sometimes never see what we sow on this side of eternity, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep sowing. Sometimes the fruit produced from our seeds might not look pretty on the outside, but the sweetness on the inside has always been what really matters.

A pear tree reminded me to be mindful and intentional about what we sow and to never stop sowing. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂