The final frost was a light one but a killing one. This year it felt later than usual, a gift of time with the garden. We worked together as a family last week pulling out the final summer varieties that were still hanging on. We tucked away most of the garden beds for winter, nestling them in a pile of protective hay until it was time to awaken them in the spring. Autumn is bittersweet for the gardener. A final reprieve from the laborious busy work that begins six months prior and only builds until the final jar of larder is placed up on the shelf.
This year it felt different. The past several years I have either been with a baby bump or a nursing infant, this year my youngest was walking, able to toddle around the garden and occupy herself in the berry patch. I got more done in less time and that was a huge blessing.
The last few years I did not bother to save seeds because my priority was just putting the harvest up. This year I would take a casual stroll through the garden once a week and gather seeds of all types in my pocket. So far, I have been storing them once dried in little glass containers that I find here and there but I am looking for a better system to categorize them and tuck them away until spring. What a privilege it is to garden! To save seed for the next year, to have access to clean soil, clean water, and clean air. It is a blessing that I do not take for granted.
The past few weeks of natural disaster for our country has weighed heavy on my heart. It feels so helpless to be a farmer in NY, and mama of four, tied to the homestead and unable to lend a hand in relief. The feeling of hopelessness was thankfully fleeting. My perspective has changed since as I lift thoughtful prayers to heaven on behalf of our friends in the south, as I raise up strong men (and a lady) to be tenderhearted servants and as I save seeds to share.
We recently took a day trip to North Carolina, and I was even able to share some seeds from our NY garden with a few sweet families that we met. What a romantic notion that new life will spring forth next spring from the seeds of our humble farm in the gardens of friend’s hours away.
Simply waking up in the morning and contributing in even the smallest way can make a significant difference. I yearn to give more, serve more, and pray more. But most of all I recognize that life is such a gift, and no moment should be wasted.
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