Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Spring Break, Part 3 - Playin' in the Dirt


Matthew 13:8
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop - a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

During her spring break from school, I pick up granddaughter, Virginia Rose, on Tuesday so she can travel with me the following day to Oxford where we will spend several days with my mother.  Naturally, Virginia is excited about our trip, but when she learns we will be planting flowers together that afternoon, she is beside herself with enthusiasm.  She runs to grab her little shovel, which she left in the yard during her last visit, but finds out she likes using her hands to help with the soil and planting.




Virginia listens carefully to my instructions the entire time as she helps choose the next flower to plant, places the rich, loamy soil into the posts, scoops out deep-enough holes to satisfy the root systems, and fills them back with the dirt, pressing it down to secure the fledgling blooms in place.



And here is what we planted!


Double Impatiens




Begonias


The common name for this plant is "Chocolate Chip."  Virginia, of course, loved it!  But she also was entertained by the name of the plant below.


The Toe-Tickler!

Virginia is so proud of the work she has done, and so she should be.  In the good soil, with sunlight and water, these plants are sure to set down strong roots and thrive, blossoming all summer long.


May the soil of our hearts be prepared to grow in God's Word, so He can root Himself deeply into our very being, and produce good fruit in us.

Amen!

18 comments:

  1. It is so satisfying to plant, seeds especially, and to see them grow and bloom. I have still to get any plants from the sunflower seeds I have sown. I am good at all sorts of weeds though! Our garden is full of dandelions, daisies, thistles and the like. I say a weed is a plant you do nto want - so in effect a daisy, or a blooming thistle is good in the right place. The thistle is, after all, the national flower of Scotland. Och aye !!!

    I enjoyed your post today, Martha. And the lesson at the end.

    God bless y'all!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed today's post, Victor! Sounds like you have quite the hodgepodge of plants in your yard, and I'm with you when it comes to "weeds." There are, actually, so many beautiful ones, the thistle included. Let them grow and thrive!
      Love and blessings!

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  2. Enjoy it while you can. I found as my kids got older, their enthusiasm for such activities waned. Nay. it disappeared completely.

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    1. Believe me, Roy, I'm cherishing every moment. They do grow up way too fast.
      Love and blessings!

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  3. yes! may the soil of my heart be good soil where His truth can grow, take even deeper roots to flourish at all time. wonderful lesson Martha. Seems like you have a budding horticulturalist on your hands as well.

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    1. Amen, Bill! May His roots take firm hold.
      Virginia's great-grandfather, my dad, was a botanist. Maybe she did get some of his genes!
      Love and blessings!

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  4. Martha,
    I tell you, the pictures get better and better! I feel like I know Virginia Rose :) What a sweetheart.

    I love the metaphorical theme of your post. "May the soil of our hearts be prepared to grow in God's Word, so He can root Himself deeply into our very being, and produce good fruit in us." Amen, may it be so, Lord Jesus.
    Hugs to you and yours, friend.

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    1. So glad you enjoyed the photos, Beckie; I'll be sure to tell Danny. I can take credit for the individual flower pictures, though. Lol!
      And yes, may it be so with all of us to till the rich soil of our hearts to receive God's Word.
      Love and blessings!

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  5. Martha, you've presented a great word picture here about fertile soil to grow plants and how the same type of soil is needed in our hearts to receive spiritual seeds planted through reading the Word, worship, preaching, and teaching.

    I truly hope Virginia never loses her enthusiasm!

    Love and blessings!

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    1. Thank you, Kim, for your kind words here; they mean so much. And I'm with you - I hope Virginia never loses her enthusiasm for life and for God.
      Love and blessings!

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  6. I love Virginia's enthusiasm, Martha. It must be so fun to do these things together. :) And yes, "may the soil of our hearts be prepared to grow in God's Word!" Love and hugs to you!

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    1. Thank you, Trudy! Yes, Virginia's enthusiasm for so many activities always gets my heart to singing. Such joy she brings to us all!
      Love and blessings!

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  7. Oh this was so delightful! I love that you are spending this kind of quality time with your precious granddaughter. She will treasure these memories forever in her heart. So glad that you are keeping a picture journal of the adventure. I hope you will share these pictures with her in some kind of little album/scrapbook. I wish I'd done that with my grandson. We didn't have a lot of opportunities when he was little because we lived so far away...(us in Florida, He lives in Maine). But every moment was priceless and precious to me. Thank you for sharing this precious moments with us.

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    1. So glad you enjoyed the post today, Pamela! Yes, I'm saving all the photos in albums on my computer, but I should probably put them all on a backup drive, and then a jump drive, just to be sure. These are precious memories of my most priceless and precious Virginia.
      Love and blessings!

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  8. oh my, I want/need spring so bad. It still feels like Feb in Ohio. Your pictures gave me hope. Thanks

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    1. Jean, I know you all have had a super tough winter up North. May spring be just around the corner!
      Love and blessings!

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  9. Spring! My grandson hung out with me for several days over his spring break. One afternoon we walked to the bank and to run other errands in the neighborhood. As we walked along, we smelled all the flowers to compare all the fragrances. I shared with him that my favorite spring flowers are hyacinths. Yesterday, his mommy stopped by my house with him on their way home. While at the store, he recognized some hyacinths and asked her to buy them for me. They are now in my kitchen, and they smell like love.

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    1. Aw. Galen, this is such a sweet (yes, I know it sounds like a pun) story! It's always such a joy to spend time with grandchildren, isn't it? Your grandson sounds like such an incredibly thoughtful child.
      Love and blessings!

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. . . Good Tidings of Great Joy . . .

  . . . Good tidings of great joy . . . ~Luke 2:10 Pictured above are my daughter, Sarah, son-in-law, John, and their three girls, Virginia,...