Everything I Learned, I Learned in Kindergarten...and Then Re-learned as a Mom!

Gardening 101:  Two weeks ago, my four-year-old, Jentry, came home from primary with a plastic cup.  Inside the cup was beautiful soil.  Jentry informed the whole family that under all that dirt was a flower.

As we walked from the car to the house, she very carefully walked with one foot in front of the other so as not to disturb her "flower."

I was instructed to put the cup in the kitchen window and put a "teeny bit of water in it everyday for two years".  After "a long time," the flower would come out of the dirt.

Two days ago, to my excitement, the "flower" popped out.  I called Jentry in and she searched the small cup until she found the tiny seedling.  When she saw it, her eyes lit up. How exciting to witness the little miracles of spring.

This excitement took me back to every spring.  After all of the work of preparing the garden spot and painstakingly placing each seed, the careful watering and weeding, you receive your payoff.  That magical moment, after hopefully searching the dirt for any sign of life, you find it: that tiny uniform row of red leafs from your beets, or mini green starts from your radishes. 

Yes, I saw that look in Jentry's eyes!  She's hooked.  It always hits about this age, the understanding of reaping what you sow; an understanding that you learn now, and re-learn every spring.

Once again, the kids and I, (Jentry, too) will plant those tiny seeds, and once again, we'll be out there every day, watching with faith, for out first sign of garden life, the miracle of spring.