It was so timely today to pull up this post from March 2013:
...not only have we been working in the Garden and Orchard...but this morning our Sunday School lesson was on Mark 4 and the Parable of the Sower -- the same passage as discussed in Luke 8...
This morning we talked about soil types, the work required, and the relationship we have with those around us. It is amazing how much working in an orchard or garden teaches you about life. In the end just like a fruit tree we are known by our fruit or lack thereof. I have much to ponder and work on in that regards.
The post was also timely as I stopped with the kids by the Broad Street Community Orchard to check and see how the Blackberry bushes and Apple trees are doing. It was such a delight to see the branches weighed down with apples...it has taken 4 years of the roots firmly growing, but now the fruit is growing too!
When the Orchard was planted we had no idea the lessons it would teach us...
Strawberry beds are massive work...hours per week and four were way too much for one person to maintain...by the end of the second season we opted to remove them from the garden.
UK Extension Office and Kelly Jackson are rockstar in the horticulture fields. Kelly and his staff pruned the trees and all the other things needed to ensure the trees were growing the right way to be strong and healthy for years to come. It takes hard work and knowledge to have a thriving Orchard.
A neighbor that taught us more about being a neighbor than anyone ever has...this neighbor grew up on the Orchard plot when there was a house there. He takes pride even today with the homeplace gone and has four years mowed and kept the Orchard looking beautiful. His dedication to our community and this place that holds a special place in his life is such a beautiful lesson for us all.
When I think back over four years it has been a time of not just growing a beautiful Orchard, but for our family it has been a time of pruning and work as we have faced a child with significant health needs...we have had neighbors that have gathered around and continued the mission of neighbors helping neighbors when our family was weary and we have seen shining examples of love and caring...I look back and see not only has an Orchard been growing, but also a community that we treasure so much!
0 Comments:
Post a Comment