For the Gusto

This is for my husband Marlo, the vegetable gardener.

Last evening, we ate fresh snow peas and raspberries, picked just before supper—along with Crappie, caught by fisherman friend Dave Daining two days ago.

As I savored each bite, I felt my ties to the earth and its maker.

Others, too, feel that tie. Mary De Jong says it most simply: “Because I enjoy living off the land.”

Stan Heersink feels ties to the land—and to his childhood. “My folks had a big garden, We each had our own row. I tried some dwarf cabbages and other fun plants. The garden did very well. As an adult, I enjoy going out to the garden to pick fresh vegetables.”

Karen Schiebout says, “I think gardening is in my blood, part of my genetic makeup. Every time I can tomatoes, the satisfying pop of the sealing jars brings me back home to Minnesota, to my mother’s and grandmother’s kitchens. It only seems right that I connect to them in this way across the years and miles.”

And we all enjoy the mealtime pleasure that results. Some of us don’t even wait for mealtime. Gayle Wyma says, “While working in the garden, there is nothing like popping a juicy, red tomato into your mouth!”

So, thanks Marlo—and all you vegetable gardeners—for bringing gusto to our meals and building bridges to God’s world.