The Value of Life

I think you have to be a gardener or farmer to truly understand the true value and fragility of life.

As a gardener you start with a little seed. Small, dry, a completely inconsequential looking thing. Yet this will bring forth life abundantly... not just the plant but those that consume the plant. The chain of life, think about it, without this little seed, none of us would exist.

I remember sometimes when I lived in the city that I enjoyed the flowers, however, never truly appreciated just how precious were their blossoms. In a world of concrete and steel you begin to think concrete and steel... you forget in this type of world there can be no life. The easy shopping and access to food and plants blinds you to the source. The farmer and gardener.. tending the little seed, praying for it to grow, watching the weather, adding the nutrients, tending life. What job in the entire world could be more important (except a mother)?

I never truly grasped the joy and importance of the workers until I sat next to the little plant pushing its way through carefully mixed soil giving small sips of water and encouragement. This little plant that with care and a bit of luck, will some day bring nourishment to our family.

How much more fascinating are the "weeds" of nature. Those little seeds that lack helping hands yet spring up with life. The seeds that nurture a world of creatures both great and small. For those who have toiled, remember your work is not in vain, that it serves a purpose, whether a small garden on the patio or a thousand acres in the field, we are the future.... remind yourself and remind those who share the bounty of your harvest.