dirt under my nails

tonight after bedtime i went out to the garden to weed.  there are lots of weeds.  they have seriously stifled our carrots, they are as tall as our pepper plants and would make a lovely green carpet if it didn't happen to be where i'd like to see rich brown earth instead.  this garden is one of the most rewarding things i've ever done.
it started as a conversation in the cold of winter, all of us sitting around talking about the coming of spring and what we were going to plant in our garden.  tomatoes are an obvious must, basil it's delicious sandwich companion, peas are both scrumptious and sentimental to ryan, bell peppers to make gramma karen's pastrami sandwiches, a jalapeno plant to make mandy's turkey burgers, zucchini for summer succotash, exotic broccoli and colorful carrots from carolyn and green beans just because.  we plotted, we planned, we prepared, we tilled

and one warm day in may, we planted - bel in planting seeds in her swim suit,

jack building a railroad track with the tomato stakes, sage snacking in her walker, ryan finding every possible free space to plant more peas

and me loving every minute of the warm dirt under my bare feet, surrounded by the people i love.

a few short days later jack noticed our first pea sprouts,

he's frequently wandering outside during/after breakfast and one day he ran in yelling, "our food is growing!" the green beans were quick to follow, then the broccoli and i'm still not convinced that our hesitant carrots will ever make it to the table.

the garden has brought us together, maybe only for a few minutes at a time, but it's always time well spent.  we often gather outside by the garden, looking for our first red tomatoes (trying (and failing) to beat the birds to them), surveying the growth of our plants, watching them change, getting excited by the progress.  and such is life - we are planted here to grow, to change and to progress.
my favorite conversation sparked by the garden was from bel - "mom, how do they make seeds?" we talked about how we don't make seeds, plants make their own seeds.  I love this element of God's plan, a crucial detail in his creation - that every living thing carry a seed within itself. so brilliant.
today we had sun and rain, so tonight as i weeded everything was extra fresh, I could smell the tomato vine as i worked, more and more dirt collecting under my nails, and then a rabbit hopped past me, right through my backyard, it paused for a moment next to me (no doubt taking note of the green tomatoes it will come back to steal later) and then it was off again.  as i sit down to write this the fireflies are out and our backyard feels like my own personal paradise.  there are popsicle sticks strewn about, and plastic cups, unplanted herbs (still in the flat), toys scattered around the yard and a garden that is still populated with grass and weeds along with the vegetables, it's not ready for a magazine shoot of paradise, but i love it with all my heart.  it captures the good in my life, it reminds me of the people that live here, play here, visit here, and work here.  it is a reminder that though God gives us many gifts, those gifts require work.  it is through work that we grow and change and progress - as we work we learn and develop self worth and find joy.  our garden is not eden, our garden grows weeds and we will definitely gather this food by the sweat of our brow.  so it's a good thing, to have a little dirt under my nails.