Wisdom from Mary's Garden

by Irene Zundel

My dear friend Mary is a woman of deep faith and an avid gardener – even in her 80s! Her beautiful flower beds and huge vegetable and herb gardens are living works of art. Her porch and welcoming picnic area are a haven for friends and family who want to share a meal and chat in beautiful surroundings. Hummingbirds and butterflies are always darting and flitting nearby, the melodic sounds of songbirds fill the air.

Mary learned the art of gardening from her parents, modest Italian immigrants who worked hard to raise their large family. What her father earned toiling in the dangerous coal mines of rural Pennsylvania during the Great Depression and two world wars was not enough to sustain six hungry children. Gardening and canning were necessary to their survival.

As a child, Mary and her sisters learned every aspect of growing and preserving the family's crops. Long hours every year were spent preparing the soil, planting seeds, watering and weeding the growing plants, harvesting the bounty and filling countless canning jars with healthy, home-grown food.

All of the grids learned valuable skills and a few character lessons along the way ≠ the value of hard work, sharing family burdens, having faith and patience while waiting for things to come to fruition and putting things away for the future, to name just a few!

As Mary raised her own family and nurtured her beautiful grandchildren, the tradition of gardening and canning continued. All summer long, young and old alike would arrive in Mary's kitchen at the crack of dawn to help her with the canning process.

That beehive of activity was something to behold! Amidst the steady flow of work were a million little conversations, shared hugs and lots of laughter.

Once in a while the mood would grow more somber as Mary listened to the trials of her grand kids and their struggles in growing up, fitting in at school and coping with their first jobs.

She always had infinite patience, a tender heart and some wise words of encouragement and faith. Frowns and tears always vanished, sparkling eyes and sweet smiles took their place.

I realized that what Mary learned in church and in her garden helped her to grow a "crop" of happy family members. Every kind word, encouraging smile and loving prayer were good seeds planted in fertile soil. In time, her children and grandchildren became well educated and prosperous and shared her deep faith.

She certainly exemplifies what Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 11:6:

"Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don't know if profit will come from one activity or another – or maybe both."

Her life is a shining example to all of us who know and love her.

In honor of Mary, one day I penned a quirky little poem. It is an apt description of the personality of this sweet little gardener and the way she lives her life.

A Garden Poem:

Life is like a garden

You reap just what you sow

All you tend with loving care

Will multiply and grow

So plant some "peas" called pleasantness

Praise and patience too

Those qualities just sparkle

Like grass wet with morning dew

 

"Lettuce" not be so competitive

With people that we meet

Your fellow man is not someone

You need to "squash" or "beef"

 

"Turnip" that joy

Share a hug

Put on a sunny grin

For what sprouts in life's great garden

Are the seeds that you put in!