A Tiny Gem

It's funny how memories work. Sometimes the things you think you'll remember forever become faded and lost. And other times, those moments you let pass without another thought can later become the brightest days of your life.
I've shared a lot of years with my husband. And throughout our marriage, there have been some amazing memories. Such things as our wedding, first car, new house, the birth of our children and grandchildren, birthday celebrations, graduations, weddings, and anniversaries.
But somehow through a mountain of time, one small bud of a memory repeatedly floats to the top.
Maybe it's just this time of year. The beginning of spring. Of new life. Or the immense reality of aging.
Whatever the reason, I continue to remember this tiny gem...

We had only been married a year or two. It was spring. Early morning. At our old farm house on the dead-end road, trees shaded the yard like green umbrellas. Birds were having a party with their sweet chirping. And the air was fresh...cleansed...soft with the perfume of honeysuckle and lilacs. The rising sun felt warm on our faces. Love seemed to glow from our skin like a rainbow ...and everything seemed new.

My husband's grandpa had given us a box of tomato plants for our garden, each one frail and spindly, wrapped in damp newspapers and smelling of greenness. We sat on the big concrete porch in our rusty lawn chairs and began to separate the plants, being careful not to expose the roots to the air. At first they didn't look like much, fragile and thin and clinging for life. But we had hope.

We glanced at one another and smiled, sipped our coffee, and coddled our plants. We spoke of our garden plans, our life plans...our dreams and our joys. The day was perfect...stretched out like a soft song that hums forever.

That summer the thin hairy branches grew strong and heavy with fruit, providing thick red tomatoes the size of baseballs. With gentle attention and special care they flourished...just like our marriage.

I don't know why, but that morning those many years ago still remains in my mind like a clear video. On spring days, I think of that time...the trees and birds and dew on the grass...

A simple memory of hope. And one I have never forgotten.