The Joy of Seedlings

Every facet of gardening offers pleasure for me. From daydreaming about the design, to picking the seeds, to clearing the weeds - I know that with each phase I'm working on a small part of a greater whole.

While I love seeing, smelling and tasting the fruits of my labor, the part that makes me absolutely giddy is seeing the seedlings sprout. There is just something about the faith that it takes to lovingly place a seed or several into a spot of soil and believe that with time and care something will grow.

This year, my son and I are planting sugar snap peas as one of our new crops. I love to eat sugar snap peas but I never would have thought to grow them. He saw the package and picked it up without a second thought. So far, all the seedlings we've planted are sprouting - the tomatoes and carrots slowly and steadily popping up from this hard Texas soil. But the sugar snap pea seedlings are really showing out! They're strong, vibrant and so far have even been able to withstand the thinning out and transplants.

Again, since it's my first time planting them I have no idea if they'll actually produce fruit, and that's ok. Because these little seedlings give me hope each day that we come out to nurture them with song and water. For every whipping wind and thundering storm they survive, I am motivated to keep going. Keep giving them the care they need.

So the joy of seedlings is in the lesson the seedlings teach. They aren't just surviving. Their roots are strong and digging deep into the soil - doing the unseen work. They are thriving because they are rooted in their purpose - to grow.