No, Suzanne isn’t scheduled for a tongue transplant, although that would be pretty cool. With a tongue transplant, she wouldn’t have to find me every time she needs an envelope sealed; I wouldn’t have to be around when she cooks dinner for her dad to see that it tastes right; and most important, She wouldn’t even be stuck on a liquid diet. Yea, I’m sure she would be in for that, but I digress.

I don’t know about you, but I have way too many hobbies and gardening is just one of them. I love all aspects of the garden, got that from my dad I guess; although you wouldn’t have figured that out from watching me as a kid because the two W’s (weeding and watering) were the last thing this teenager had on his mind.

Today turned out to be transplant day, the day I move most of my starter tray plants to individual pots. I’m a week or so behind my usual schedule for transplant day but for some reason, my timing is off a little this year. As it turns out, being later might be a good thing, I usually have too big of plants when it’s finally to put them in the garden.

Our garden is always bigger than we need. Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Okra, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cucumbers . . . . I love to try new varieties, especially tomatoes, doing side by side taste tests in the summer to see which ones we like. There is just something about starting a new life from seed, watching it sprout and grow till it finally fruits. Then, as autumn approaches, the cycle of life ends and the plant is added to the compost pile to be used in a different form next year.

How fortunate we as humans are to have a life cycle longer than six months, well at least the vast majority of us do. The average life span in the US today is 78.5 years. My mom made it to 72, Dad to 98, and that’s my goal! According to my stats, Suzanne & I have 8987 days left to enjoy each other in this life.

But someday, we too will be in the autumn of our years and eventually cast to the compost bin to be used again in a different form by all those we left behind. We will be used as a topic of discussion on our family history; used as an example of how to live life; used as a sounding board for those who have questions or troubles; and used as an intermediary to our new landlord, God.

From this point, whenever you get the chance, plant those seeds of knowledge into the lives of everyone you meet so when your time comes to be with the Lord, they can bear the fruit of your gardening skills.

But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold
Mark 4:20