THE GARDEN
“Wait for me, Nanny!” Nanny is what Little One called her grandmother. “Come on, Little One, the garden is calling.” “I don’t hear it, Nanny. What is it calling?” Laughing, Nanny said “No, Little One, you can’t hear it with your ears, you hear it with your heart. The garden is full of life and adventures, not to mention good stuff to eat.”
Little One clung to Nanny’s dress as they waded through the rows of corn towering higher than even Nanny. When they reached the beds of squash Little One let go and ran up to a squash flower peering in. “Look, Nanny, there’s a bee inside!” Next to the squash were the pole beans. Nanny had positioned strings running up to a center pole so that a ‘tent’ of bean tendrils had grown all around and up to the top. “Look, Little One, so many beans are ready. They will taste so good with cornbread and fried chicken.” “Mmmm, I like beans, Nanny, can we have some now?” Grandmother and granddaughter plopped on the dirt and Nanny spread her apron wide and ‘unzipped’ several pods. Fresh peas fell upon Nanny’s apron and both tasted the goodness of the garden.
“Let’s go pick some maters Little One.” Jumping up Little One ran ahead to the tomato cages. “Ooo, look there’s a big green worm on this one.” Nanny plucked the worm and squished it and then another and another. “Darn horn worms, they like maters more than I do” said Nanny. Little One looked at the squished worms; she wrinkled her nose and put her hands on her hips “Darn horn worms!” Caught off guard Nanny said “Don’t go telling your momma I said darn, Little One, and don’t you say it either.”
Not too many years later as Little One was starting school she and her family moved to where people didn’t have gardens. The years flew by and Little One was all grown up. When she began to have children of her own she and her family moved back to where people still planted gardens. She remembered the smell of the dirt, the tickle of the corn silks, and taste of the fresh beans. Most of all she remembered the joy her grandmother had just being in the garden, a joy she still felt in her heart. She started with tomatoes and took her children out to look at them each day. When they began to turn red her little ones said “Look, mommy, there’s a big green worm on this one!” “Darn horn worms!” said mommy as she squished it….
Kindness On A Bicycle
Sometimes things we miss in the hurry of our everyday, God will put plainly in sight when we least expect it…
I pulled up to the stop light and before I could check my phone for a text, or look in the mirror to see my reflection, or tune the radio to listen to whatever, there it was beside me…
The young girl on the bicycle, not more than 12 or 13, rode up right behind the two walking ladies. At first I thought she must be with them as she was riding so close. The walking ladies were good friends, it was easy to tell. They were talking away as good friends do, so full of words and so full of friendship that they didn’t know they were walking or where they were. They only knew they were finding God’s gift for their day – the pure joy of having another to share all those words with.
I thought to myself “Why doesn’t the girl just say excuse me or clear her throat or something? Or maybe she is with them and has to ride behind them?” Not more than hundred feet of this happened when a wide driveway into a shopping center became her chance to go around. And she did, she went right around them and zoomed down the street. The walking ladies barely noticed, the words just kept tumbling out.
I thought again of the bicycle girl. I thought her mother should be proud of her. She was so patient, so kind. Then it occurred to me, would I have been? Haven’t I honked the horn when the light is green and the lady in front of me is fixing her hair or tuning her radio? And yes, I have had the horn honked at me when I’m lost in a text while waiting for the green light. How did it feel? It felt unkind.
In the matter of less than sixty seconds God showed me what kindness looks like. It looks like a 12 year old with a long, brown braid on a yellow bicycle gently pedaling and not making a sound and smiling as she goes around two women enjoying their gift for the day…
A Valentines Story
The silver haired reflection in the mirror seemed unfamiliar – where were the strawberry blonde curls, the freckled cheeks? The first Valentine’s Day in fifty-two years without Ed. The first Valentine Ed ever gave me was actually sixty years ago. Cut out of red construction paper and pasted on white notebook paper. I was eight and Ed had made one for all the girls, but when he handed them out I was last. He laid it on my desk and started to walk away, then stopped and looked at me and said “Your hair sure is curly.” That was all he had to say, from that day on I knew I was in love.
It took about another eight years before Ed ever said another thing to me on Valentine’s Day, but this time it was me who delivered a card. It was from the dime store and in it I wrote “Remember me? I was the eight year old with freckles and curly hair. Eleanor” At lunch I got up all my nerve and laid it on his lunch tray as I walked by.
That evening as I washed dinner dishes there was a knock on the door. I could hear daddy say “Come on in, son, how can I help you?” I froze as I heard Ed’s voice stammer “Well, sir, I want to ask permission to give this box of chocolates to your daughter, and, well, and sir, I was hoping I might could take Eleanor to the soda shop tomorrow night?” There was a long silence, I couldn’t breathe. Suddenly my younger brother said “Who would want to take Eleanor to the soda shop?” Daddy intervened “Buddy, go on in to the kitchen and help mama.” Then he said “Well, son, let’s see if Eleanor wants to go to the soda shop with you. Eleanor? Come on out here.”
Oh my goodness, my hands were still in the soapy water, I had an apron on, my hair was probably a tousled mess. But I didn’t waste any time, throwing the dish rag down I practically ran into the living room. Every Valentine’s Day since, Ed has always written on the card envelope “Freckles & Curls, That’s My Girl”. This year he would not.
Retrieving the shoebox where I had put each Valentine card, I took off the lid. The faint scent of Ed’s aftershave lifted out as I stared down at all the years. I decided I would start with the first one scrawled by an eight year old boy and work my way up to last year’s. I dumped the box upside down. To my surprise the first card on the bottom wasn’t that faded construction paper heart, it was a red envelope that read “I’m Sorry Freckles”. Inside was a construction paper heart and written on it was “I knew our first Valentine’s Day apart would find you reminiscing. Just want you to know that those eight years between the first Valentine card and our first date, I was in love too. Someday together again, this time you’ll be stuck with me forever. Bring chocolates! Love Ed”
Welcome…
Paris Renae is about to go live – it is an exciting time. Please visit again on February 14th as we officially begin sharing the stories of your lives…
