It All Starts With a Seed........
We just got back from a little vaca/anniversary/respite trip. Lord, we needed it!! As we began the journey home, both my husband and I kept wondering what the garden would look like when we got there. He’s been gardening for most of the nearly 40 years of our marriage and this year built an enclosure around our garden to keep the critters out. (Turns out we have rabbits, a groundhog and an armadillo that think the garden is for them.) We were hoping and praying that all was still safe and ready to start picking.
Usually, he focuses on the gardening and I focus on the cooking and preserving. In Spring 2020, as the world was reeling from the COVID pandemic and its uncertainty, he corralled me into actually planting with him. Since we didn’t know how the pandemic would affect our business, we decided to watch our spending and use mostly seeds that year, instead of plants. We tried a few new things and I was really excited about the lima beans, the black eyed peas, and all of my herbs. When I opened the package, I realized that I could’ve just planted some of the “beans” I had in my house, cause that’s exactly what I was looking at when i opened the bag of “seeds.”
Okay, I know the all of the food we planted starts with the seed that is in the food or the seed that comes from vegetables that “go to seed”. But, seeing the actual seed in my hand made me pause. How many times do we already have the “seed” we need to make a dream come true? A business idea, a book, a conference, a dream trip, a relationship? And, instead of planting the seed and reaping the harvest, we search for and find and pay for something that we already had access to. Depending on others to do for us.
This gardening journey has taken us through tillers, composts, critters, drought, worms, watering woes, bounty, volunteer plants, mislabeled packages and harvest. But, the power that lay in the seeds that we planted, burst through the ground and against all odds, did what it do……it grew. And as the growing season ended, the fruit and plant provided more seeds for us to plant and harvest in the next season. WHEW!!!!
I often think about all of the conversations around food deserts and food swamps and the people who are unable to access the healthier food that they need. Food Justice is definitely a category of Social Justice that when addressed can make a huge difference in health outcomes/disparities in our communities. I shared the story of our own experience in an article for Message Magazine. By definition, I lived in a food desert/swamp as a child. My mom had to walk uptown with us and her grocery cart or drive over on the highway to the shopping center to get healthy food for us. The only store on our street in the projects was one like stores attached to gas stations. So you know what was on those shelves. She did a great job of navigating her way through poor offerings to find healthy ones. And, when we moved south, we found more options and my daddy began a full garden for our family.
But, how can you make better choices, if you cannot move? You’ve got to plant the seed right where you are. Find the foods you like and plant them where you are…..in a pot, windowsill, balcony, a community space, a church yard. Then nurture them and after harvest, save the seed for the next season. And, share it with your neighbor. And, save some for later, when you can’t get it fresh. And, show how they can do the same thing. And show how to keep the critters out!! And, stop depending on “them” to make it better for you. They. Ain’t. Coming.
I was so motivated by the story of Ron Finley!! And, he’s just one of many who have decided that Food Justice starts with a seed. Do an Internet search. You will be amazed at what people are doing. Recently, my husband and I had a chance to speak about Food/Health as Social Justice with Pastor Debleaire Snell and David Person on their Podcast Breathe. Take a listen here: Justice and Health Part 1 Justice and Health Part 2 We are the ones who can make a difference.
Well, you absolutely know there’s a moral to this story. When Moses was charged by God to lead His people out of Egyptian bondage into freedom he was overwhelmed by the enormity of the task at hand. God told him to use what was in his hand (Exodus 4). I’m convinced that planting the seed that is in our hands will make a difference for us and our families and our communities. But, YOU have to plant the seed. Then, get ready to reap the HARVEST!! You know what you’re trying to grow. Go ahead and get it done!!
PS…..The garden was great when we got back. It’s Harvest Time!!
It Starts With a Seed!! Get To Planting!! It’s First Thursday Yawl!!
I’m Still Shoutin’ Ova Here!!
Donna
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