Amazing Seeds

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So often the common and mundane things in our world go unnoticed, when upon closer observation and reflection, they are more like miracles in disguise. I am speaking of the natural world, in all of its infinite variety, but the same can be said of our human selves and relationships. There is likewise infinite variety and amazing things disguised beyond our often-dulled senses. This might be reminiscent of Jesus’ saying in Matthew 13:13: “Though seeing they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

Take the lowly seed, be it for a flower or fruit or vegetable—a microscopic set of genetic instructions in a spaceship of sorts, toting along an initial supply of nutrients for germination, but only when the conditions are just right. It is so small and insignificant in appearance compared to what the mature plant will look like. Seeds of lavender or celery or rudbeckia—no larger than specs of dirt! It takes a special kind of patience and focus to physically place each one into soil.

Another amazing consideration is what this almost ritual act entails. In our human world, speed and control and tangible results are driving forces. Growing plants from seed and soil (another essay unto itself) flies in the face of all that. Will they germinate at all? How long will it be? When will I see fruits and flowers? As gardener, you feel it’s all your doing. But you merely facilitate a process; the act of growth in and of itself has nothing to do with you. It is only a human being creating a bridge within the menagerie of the natural world. We are a small part of the much, much larger cosmos called nature. In reality, what we are doing is really a very humble thing, and we are not the masters of creation we often fancy ourselves to be.

Caroline McColloch
Chez Nous Farm
cheznousfarm@gmail.com

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