How Does Your Garden Grow ~ By Vanessa Colburn

Sweet rewards are found by one patient enough to plant a seed and nurture life.  When childish fingers dig within the dirt, showering lovely clods of dirt upon unsuspecting seeds, joy is the fertilizer. A dear friend of mine sifted such soil during her summer visits with grandparents in rural Canada while growing up.  Every summer her and her brother participated in caring for grandparents' gardens; a lovely tradition between the generations.

While we can easily find Biblical verses that admonish us to train up our children so they too may follow the Lord, we don't always know how to accomplish such an important task.  Consultants are available, with willing hearts and loving hands ready to pass along life lessons. Our grand-generations (grandfathers, great-aunts, etc) offer such wisdom, and multigenerational traditions shape our families almost effortlessly.  Traditional expectations become part of who we are, and we listen to our elders as we realize the truth to Solomon's words: "Wisdom will add years to your life," Proverbs 9:11.

What a lovely blessing when generational traditions include the Lord.  In Proverbs 9:10 Solomon shares how to become wise: "To be wise you must first have reverence for the Lord.  If you know the Holy One, you have understanding."  My dear friend experienced the wisdom of both sets of godly grandparents when working with them in their garden.  Each year her and her brother spent two or three weeks with each set of grandparents.  Both families are still avid gardeners. I've seen the evidence and am always impressed!  What she recalls, however, is more than what seeds were planted or berries harvested.  Important life lessons were passed down through the simple tradition of keeping a garden.

Summer visits occurred during varying times of the season.  The beginning of summer found fingers in dirt planning the seeds. The children stayed long enough to help with the work but not feast upon the rewarding harvest. Other times they arrived in the middle of the season and pulled weeds, maintained the young plants and berry bushes and waited.  Finally, some summers found their visits occurring during harvest when raspberries were plucked plump from sprawling vines and a day's work was quickly rewarded with a bountiful bite. Through these experiences she learned to be patient, diligent, responsible and hard working.  I know these traits well in her and cherish her friendship all the more knowing the tender tilling of the soil within her heart through their traditional garden.  Her grandparents planted ever so much more than simple flower seeds and berry bushes.

As the summer winds down and all eyes begin to refocus upon school year supplies, stop and appreciate the multi-generational traditions that have helped sculpt who we are. Some may be more involved such as the planning and care of a garden. Others might be as simple as Grandma's special pancake recipe or playing cribbage with Grandpa's handmade cribbage board.  Look for the love passed down and take a moment to pass it along.

Share an extra hug and heartfelt thanks to those whose wisdom has touched you.

~ Vanessa Fawn Colburn, helpmeet to Paul, homeschooling mommy to three wonders, while balancing the Lord's call to finish a master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.  Email: Grateful2God4Babies2gmail.com