Gardening- More than just a Hobby

I remember as a young man working alongside my father each and every spring in the garden behind my house. My dad had a large garden that extended across the whole backyard behind the lawn area. I could see the excitement in his eyes and in his face as soon as springtime arrived. He would pull out his rusty old tiller, covered in cobwebs, and pull the cord to fire it up. Inevitably, it would take multiple pulls on the cord until it would finally sputter and smoke, and start up.

I still remember watching my dad push that roto-tiller back and forth through the garden while the soil turned from a dusty light, brown color, to a deep rich, dark, moist soil. I remember my dad letting me stand in front of him to help push the tiller while he stood behind me doing most of the work. I am glad my dad let me be part of the gardening experience every year. For me it wasn’t getting the garden prepared as much as it was being with my dad, working hard together and accomplishing something worthwhile. My dad instilled this love of gardening and hard work into me at an early age and it is still there.

I now have a wonderful wife and three kids of my own and often wonder how Dad had the patience and energy to work on that garden year in and year out. My wife grew up with parents who enjoyed gardening as well so we share our love of this hobby together. Over the years, I have felt that gardening has been more of a hobby than a way of necessity, but with the struggling economy, and the problems with produce being tainted with numerous pesticides, gardening has taken on a new importance in my life as well as for my family. Gardening is more than just a hobby, it is an enjoyable way to live healthy and enjoy the independence of growing your own food.

Not everyone grew up having the space or the time to grow a garden. Many people live in the city which can make it difficult to grow a large garden. As a child I couldn’t imagine not having a garden. For me it was a way of life and imbedded into the lifestyle of my family and where we lived. I grew up in Southern Utah County out in the country and enjoyed the vast openness of alfalfa fields and large cattle farms. Although I was in an area where we had the space for a large garden, those that do not, can still have smaller gardens of their own. Many people set up little garden boxes in their backyard and plant tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, and other items. They can still enjoy the fresh vegetables and fruits that they have grown themselves. Be creative and find ways to grow your garden in big or small spaces.

There is great satisfaction in growing a garden. It takes time and energy to prepare the soil, as I did with my father every spring, plant the seeds, water on a regular basis, remove the weeds, harvest the crop, and clean out the leftover dead vines and plants when the garden is done growing for the year. There is great joy in the knowledge that you have helped in growing this garden. You will enjoy the wonderful taste of homegrown vegetables and fruits year after year as you plant and care for your garden.

Nothing compares to the juicy taste of a sun-ripe tomato picked seconds ago off the vine or the crunch as you sink your teeth into a freshly shucked yellow sweet cob of corn slathered in butter. One of my daughters loves to eat fresh peas out of the garden. As I look down and watch her eating those peas and see the delight in her face, I remember why I love to plant a garden and why I love to have my children right beside me while I do it. Each year as I prepare my own garden, I reflect back on those sunny spring afternoons with my own dad and know that a garden is more than just a hobby, it’s a way of life.

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The Garden of Life

Several months ago I stood in front of my garden plot and stared at the piles of dirt that lay there waiting to be plowed and prepared for planting the seeds that I held in my hand. I envisioned the juicy tomatoes and the crisp corn that would come later that summer and fall. Now it is October and I again stand in front of the same garden with the same pile of dirt, after enjoying a wonderful summer and fall of enjoying fresh vegetables.
My wife just recently gave birth to our third child, our first boy, Dawson. His life is similar to my garden. He is just starting his life out similar to the seeds that I held in my hand. He has incredible potential and can do a lot of good in his life if he is cultivated and given the proper nutrition both spiritually and physically. Just like the soil is prepared in the garden, my wife and I must have a strong marital foundation and happy, enjoyable place for Dawson to start his life in. The preparation that should be made prior to having a baby is vital so he can come to a place that is spiritually prepared and ready. In this state, he can grow and be the best possible person he can be. Cultivating and preparing the soil for the seeds to be planted in our gardens can surely also apply to raising our own baby seeds in the soil of life.

Once the soil is prepared in my garden, I then plant the seeds and apply water and sunlight. These seeds are very fragile and can be molded into a very productive and fruitful seed or a seed that will whither away and be taken away by the storms and winds that will surely come. My baby boy, Dawson, is fragile in a similar way. The things that we teach him by example will influence his life from an early age to be a force for good and will hopefully put him on the path to productivity, just like the seed that is cared for and cultivated. Just as water and sunlight are absolutely essential for the seeds in the garden to grow; unconditional love, lots of praise, and a happy home are the requirements of a happy baby and child.

Now that the seed has penetrated the soil and is growing above ground, the weeds start to descend upon the garden and attempt to choke out the sunlight and hoard the water from the young seedlings, which have now become plants. These weeds must be removed or they can take over each of the plants and eventually the whole garden. The weeds must be removed on a regular basis and the roots must be dug up completely or the weeds will come back as quickly as they are removed. In our child’s life there will be temptations and discouragements and times when it feels like the weeds of life are choking him and ruining his spirit. We need to teach our children that these can be removed, just like weeds, by repenting and partaking of the Lord’s sacrament each Sunday. We need to remember to repent fully or risk leaving the roots of sin embedded in our lives.

Once we remove these weeds from our lives we will find that our potential is great and that our fruits will bless the lives of others. Just like the fresh vegetables I enjoyed in my garden, we, too, can enjoy the fruits of our lives, and find the joy in sharing and giving of our lives to others. There will be a day when the harvest is complete and we will look back over our garden and have many wonderful memories of the sweet tastes of various vegetables and know that we overcame many different weeds in our life to be where we are today.

Life is very much like a garden. We all start out with an empty plot and can do with it what we please. Prepare your soil so that it will be ready for the seeds that you plant. Make sure and plant good seeds wherever you go in life. Give your seeds sunlight and water. Remove the weeds regularly and allow the seeds to turn into plants and to have a fruitful and productive life and allow them to give joy to others. We are all seeds in the Lord’s garden of life. He will cultivate our ground if we allow him. He will help us remove the weeds. He will be there through good times and bad. He will help us to be the best we can.

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