- Feb 5, 2002
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It was a comfortable August day years ago when my mom herded my sister and me out the back door and into the garden. Working my way through knee-high weeds wasn’t the ideal summer activity for a grade-schooler like myself, but the three of us kept at it, finally stopping to lie in the grass under a shady tree to rest.
After a bit, the others fell asleep and I got inspired. Why not hop back into the weed patch and see how much progress I could make before Mom woke up? My venture was successful, and I had the pleasure of surprising my mother with my labor of love.
In retrospect, the surprise was on me, for I think back on that day as the one in which my interest in gardening began to grow. Today, as I pull thistles out of the raspberry patch and dig up extra chive plants to give to friends, I’m grateful that my mom had me get down and dirty in the garden while I was still young, for the lessons I’ve learned there are valuable, shaping ones necessary for any child maturing into adulthood.
Continued below.
Weathering Life’s Storms by Rooting Children in a Garden
After a bit, the others fell asleep and I got inspired. Why not hop back into the weed patch and see how much progress I could make before Mom woke up? My venture was successful, and I had the pleasure of surprising my mother with my labor of love.
In retrospect, the surprise was on me, for I think back on that day as the one in which my interest in gardening began to grow. Today, as I pull thistles out of the raspberry patch and dig up extra chive plants to give to friends, I’m grateful that my mom had me get down and dirty in the garden while I was still young, for the lessons I’ve learned there are valuable, shaping ones necessary for any child maturing into adulthood.
Continued below.
Weathering Life’s Storms by Rooting Children in a Garden
