I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
As summer winds down, so does the yield from my garden. After enjoying two different varieties of lettuce over the course of the summer, the plants are now going to seed and I will soon be back to finding my lettuce in the produce aisle of the grocery store. The sugar snap peas have also come to the end of their cycle and only occasionally do I find a quick treat off the vines. While I have enjoyed several meals of garden beans, something tells me we are soon done with them until next year, as well.
The cucumber plants have blessed me abundantly, with my count total up to 26. It was looking like the hot days had taken their toll on the plants and I wasn't expecting many more to mature, but yesterday revealed several more making good progress.
With three rows of carrots, we have enjoyed many a meal with them as the vegetable of choice. Our youngest grandson in particular enjoys marching out to the garden in search of a treat, eaten Bugs Bunny style.
There has also been one helping of potatoes supplied and some small but tasty onions to add to meals. Five little watermelons sitting among the vines seem to have stopped growing, but will be given until the first threats of frost to put on some inches.
One final row sprouts greens above ground and round, pointy ended, red roots below. . .beets. They are such a treat when they final get big enough to pull a few, making room for the others to grow larger. Steamed and served sliced with butter is my favorite, but with the first batch it was possible to pop them in my mouth whole! There is also a friend in town who loves to cook up the greens, so I enjoy sharing. (My attempt to make them last year resulted in choosing to pass them on this year!)
As I was looking out the kitchen window one day, I spotted an interesting splash of a deep pink, almost burgundy color among the beet greens. What could it be? Further investigation revealed a lone petunia growing in the middle of my beet row. What a mystery! How did it get there? Was it a "gift from a bird" or a tiny seed which got in the wrong package? There is no way of knowing, but it sure was an unexpected blessing!
Seeing it shining forth in its beauty made me wonder how long it had cried out for my attention before finally catching my eye. And so it is with so many of our blessings in life. They abound around us, but we fail to notice them. This brings to mind a song I recently shared at a prayer breakfast at the Independent Community Banker's Convention in Bismarck, ND last month. It is a song written by Laura Story during a time her husband was dealing with a brain tumor. Hopefully you will take the time to listen and ponder what blessings are lurking unnoticed in your life!
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