Grandpa and the garden

May 24, 2008

A little over two years ago, my grandma passed away. A little over one year ago, her husband, my grandpa passed away. At my grandma’s funeral, I told my grandpa that I only had wonderful memories of them growing up. Not a single bad memory. This is especially impressive considering I was around them all of the time. They lived about 100 feet away from me and going to their house was often the highlight of my days as a kid. One of my favorite things to do was to help my grandpa collect veggies from his garden. I, an annoying little kid, would follow him around asking if the tomatoes were ripe enough to pick. I was constantly asking him this and he was always very kind and patient. He loved my company and he loved his garden. Over the years, I grew to love his garden too. It was exciting to me. What was most exciting of course were the really awesome tomatoes he managed to grow year after year. Delicious! One year I remember he grew sunflowers, that at the time, were taller than me. I loved his garden and I never think of my childhood summers without thinking of that garden. I think growing a garden is a good reminder to keep life simple and have patience. I hate the idea of being rushed and living a really busy life. I refuse to do it. With a garden, everything is slow. You plant in May to get results about 2-3 months later. The entire time you are just tending until the hard work finally pays off. Then, the results are so worth all of the work and wait.

This weekend I am planting my garden. I cannot wait for the awesome fruits and veggies I will get to pick this summer. But most of all, I cannot wait until July when Breckin will be following me around asking if he can pick the tomatoes yet. I can already hear him saying, “Hey Mommy! Mommy! Can I do this one yet?” I hope my kids someday come to enjoy my garden the way enjoyed my grandpa’s. If not, then at least I have some helping hands in the meantime.

Posted in Family