AUTUMN HARVEST

A TIME OF GENEROSITY

By Joan S. Peck

Today with all that’s readily available in any grocery store around the corner, the idea of growing one’s own fruits and vegetables sounds so courageous to me … it’s a lot of hard work.

But I know many people who do just that—my daughter being one. They plan and plot out their garden. Then, they start their potted plants inside because it’s too cold for them to be outside. Next, the plants are dug into the ground and watered each day, fed plant food, if necessary, and fussed over.

The excitement of the first signs of a tomato, green bean, beet, pepper, pumpkin, or an ear of corn makes all their work worthwhile. As the season progresses, the excitement increases as actual fruit and vegetables get picked and eaten. Each day becomes a treasure trove of good eating.

Soon fall arrives. Then, it is no surprise when your friends or neighbors offer you something from their garden, and they hand over a large bag of tomatoes or a dozen zucchini or peppers instead of the one or two they’d offered you when the garden wasn’t so plentiful. They have more than enough to share, and they don’t want their products to go to waste. Besides, they’re done with all the work of cutting, slicing, canning, cooking, and freezing their bounty!

Yet, it seems the work of having a garden is still not done. Next is the cleanup of the garden composed of pulling out dead plants and turning the soil to get ready for the next spring’s planting.

I admire anyone who does any kind of gardening. I think gardeners are special people. Gardeners are those who’ve partnered with Mother Nature to do their share of the work if she does hers. Their generosity to share their bounty with others is part of that unspoken agreement, and when they do, I believe it is as if they are willing to share a piece of themselves. I don’t think there can be anything more endearing than that.

That same type of loving behavior was evident this summer and continues even now during the COVID-19 pandemic we all are trying to survive. Boxes of donated food are being filled to assist in feeding those who don’t have enough to eat. It is through these acts of kindness that we are reminded of the importance of stepping up to care for those who need help. We are all one, after all.

The larger picture, of course, goes beyond food to encompass all areas of our living. Just like the gardeners of the world, we need to plant our seeds of understanding, kindness, and justice and nurture them to produce a better, kinder existence for us all. Just like the gardeners’ efforts to harvest and share with others, we each need to make a concerted effort to do our part by being generous in our acceptance of each other at a time when it is so badly needed. Just like the gardeners, when we see the fruits of our labor, we know miracles exist.

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”

– Audrey Hepburn