I stood with a glazed look over my face as I saw multiple rows with packages of seeds that all promise to one day be an actual vegetable if I simply planted them. In theory this should be a “no-brainer.” Pick the vegetables I want, get the dirt, a pot to plant them in and wallah! Except it’s not that easy. I’ve never had a plant, I don’t even know how often to water them let alone which type of tomato seed would grow best. Oh by the way, did I mention that I don’t know if this is even the right season for the seeds I’m planting?
During the month of March I wanted to focus on gardening for “green month” of my Searching for Simplicity fast inspired by Jen Hatmaker‘s book 7. I’ve made many changes towards a greener lifestyle but gardening had never been something I had ever attempted. That made deciding what to do for the “green month” pretty easy, gardening it would be! With that I picked seven things to plant:
- Tomatoes
- Green onions
- Basil
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Sweet peppers
The first sprouts of my garden
I will be honest, when I started I couldn’t tell you how often to water my garden and I still don’t! I pretty much just gave it a good look and if it seemed like the soil was damp I figured no need to water. Couldn’t even begin to tell you if this is accurate!
Patience. Oh how gardening requires this attribute! I had a little hunch that God’s message during this fast was going to be related to patience. I mean gardens don’t bloom over night! I even found myself asking “how long does it even take for seeds to start sprouting?” Day after day I would go outside, water my dirt and come back in. Nothing was happening and I kept telling myself that I was sure this would be a lesson in patience. And guess what… it was a lesson in what patience will bring! The other day I went outside to yet again water my dirt but instead I found sprouts! That’s right people, seeds actually grow! I got super excited, ran inside to tell Chase and to grab my phone to start taking pictures. I mean seriously, my vegetables had started to sprout, Facebook needed to know about this! It was my first attempt at gardening and I actually succeeded!
Confession: I can’t tell you what it is that sprouted because I can’t remember the order of where I planted everything. Whoops! I’m pretty sure it’s one of the herbs but I guess I will just have to wait and find out.
I have always been aware of the importance of patience. And in most situations I was always aware of the joy you felt after the wait was over. But it’s easy to forget and to find yourself back in that state of impatience when you are waiting.
How easy it was to plant these seeds and in a matter of a few short weeks I was reminded of what comes as a result of patience!
Every parent book out there will tell you that the secret to raising a child is consistency. I would have to agree with this statement. BUT, there are some cases where it feels like no matter the consistency, your child is just NOT going to learn anything from the situation and your efforts are completely hopeless. This was such the case last night at our house. It was time for dinner and Eli came running up to the tabel exciteed for his meal. We sit him in his chair put his plate in front of him and immeiately began the tantrum! I made something new for dinner but I had intentionally put sides of potatoes and carrots on his plate, which he normally loves. Every word from his mouth was “no!” He pushed his plate away, we scooted it back, he pushed it away… this was an ongoing process. Throwing the food to the dogs was his next step in his plan of action. Now I don’t know about you but I was completely at a loss, my child has never been a picky eater. I have never dealt with him completely refusing to even try one bite! I had always said that I didn’t want to be a short order cook and make several different meals every night to meet everyone’s taste buds in the house, the kids didn’t have to like what I make but they had to at least try it. Sounded real good before I had any kids… now it’s finally the current chapter in my book. Everything is always easier when you are not facing the situation at the time! So what’s a parent to do when your toddler refuses to even taste dinner? Consistency… right? That’s what everyone will tell you but sometimes it’s just hard when they are in the midst of a tantrum and you are thinking to yourself… is he even learning anything from this? Yes, after an hour Eli did eventually try his dinner after my attempt to dip his potato in ketchup (which grossed me out because I can not stand ketchup, but hey, he tried it!) Whether you have a child that is grown or a newborn, as parents we have all faced or will face nights like these. So remember… while consistency is the key so is supporting each other along our journey in parenthood!
