Whenever Mom told me about her Dad, she told me about following him around--basically being in his back pocket when he was at home. She was the first girl after two boys and loved her daddy. Grandpa loved to garden, so naturally she helped him with his plants.He actually developed a lovely version of the Cockscomb plant. The flower is a unique crimson velventeen ruffle that looks like the comb on a rooster.
She carried those skills on to her adult life and had beautiful plants and flowers, orchids and herbs in her yard. That's how she had a connection with with her dad.
When Mom got sick with MDS, myelodysplastic syndrome, she wasn't allowed to dig in the dirt anymore. The germs could cause an infection since her immune system was weak. In January of this year MDS bloomed into leukemia. She prepared for a bone marrow replacement. Two rounds of chemo later, the illness was not giving way so the bone marrow could be given.
When Grandpa passed away, Mom brought back an envelope with those treasured cockscomb seeds. I'm not sure if she ever got them to grow in Florida. The other day I remembered a verse that has to do with seed:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." John 12:24
You see when a seed germinates, it bascially "dies". It's buried in the ground and changes...It breaks through the surface and a plant is born.
Mom not only planted seeds that grew in her yard, she planted seeds with people. By serving her church, her neighbors and her friends she planted seeds of love--and oh what a harvest she has!
If you knew my mom, you knew love, because that's what she planted. Are you going to take that "seed" she shared with you and plant some of your own?
My Mom lost her battle with leukemia in early March, at the height of Spring. I bet when she arrived in Paradise her daddy was waiting for her. And I can just imagine them side by side, planting amazing things in the Garden together.
What are you sowing in your life while here on earth? Have you taken time to do some weeding and preparing the ground to receive seeds? Are you willing to give to others until it hurts, to basically die to self, so you can bear fruit for the Lord?
You ask, where does this seed come from? Guess what? Jesus is a Master Gardener. All you have to do is ask Him for that love for others. It will be difficult at first, but as you kneel in prayer--and get your knees dirty--you will find He will give enough. It may seem small at first, like a mustard seed, but oh, what a harvest you'll have if you take the time to plant it!
"Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, {and} running over..." Luke 6:38a
