Plant Anyway

When we plant, we are placing hope and faith in the future.

I was recently eating a pear that I had picked from a tree at my Mama’s and Daddy’s house. It was sweet and super juicy, so much so that I had to grab an extra napkin. I have looked forward to eating those pears every year in late summer, since I can remember and it made me think of my grandmother who planted it.

I wonder if she had any idea that over fifty years later, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren would  still be enjoying the fruit from that tree or that the tree would still be producing so much fruit that its branches have to be supported because of all of the weight.

I am told that she ordered that tree from a catalog. She planned for it, waited for it to arrive, dug a hole and planted it in just the right spot.

She also planted scuppernong vines in several different places. One of them in particular, had big delicious golden berries. When I was growing up, my mama, sister and I would fill huge bowls with them in the early fall. I looked so forward to it. We would eat as many as we picked and when I remember those moments, my heart always fills up with joy and gratitude.

My brother is nine years younger than I am and he also has wonderful memories of the fruit that vine produced.

My grandmother didn’t live to see or taste the fruit of the many trees and vines she planted. A heart attack took her away before I was even born, but the fruit she planted lived on long after her physical body had passed and some of it still does.

My hubby and I have even been talking about taking a cutting of the pear tree to create a whole new tree, something that would have never even been possible if  my grandmother hadn’t decided to take a chance and plant something.

We live in a world of instant gratification. We like to see the fruits of our labor immediately, from our careers, to weight loss, to relationships, if we don’t see measurable results fast, we consider our efforts, if not ourselves, a failure.

Maybe our high-tech busy living, has given us a faulty sense of reasoning. That old pear tree reminds me that God sometimes calls us to move a little more slowly, to take the time to plant many things and to become comfortable with the fact that some of what we plant won’t grow. We should plant anyway.

It also reminds me that we may never see the fruit of some of what we plant, but that doesn’t make the fruit any less amazing. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂