My Apprentice of Fifteen Years

Then:  Fascinated by colorful flowers.

In the yard of our old house, was my kids' garden.   This is unlike any other garden; it is a small patch of dirt where my they kept themselves entertained while I did my own gardening.   Here, my son planted and watered flowers that he and his sister had picked.  Believe it or not those flowers stay fresh if watered the way my kids did.  Sometimes I replaced the flowers when they wilted...but then I realized that I was fooling my kids and myself.  So I began to teach them about plants.  We started by identifying the poisonous plants in the garden.  

Today my son Brahms turned fifteen.  Hooray!  Not only has he advanced chronologically, but also horticulturally.   As a smart and hard-working sophomore, his busy schedule includes extra curricular activities like Robotics, Chess Club, Christian Youth Band, and AWANA (leader-in-training), etc.  However, in the midst of all these he finds time to do some gardening.  

 

Now:  Amazed by some tropical vegetables.

For fifteen years now he has watched me tend a garden.  I think he made up his mind - that gardening is indeed a good thing.  There is a sense of joy that emanates from the knowledge that this son of mine is going to know how to raise plants for food and beautiful surroundings.  

Like plants, gardeners clone themselves by training someone to do the same.

~~Happy birthday, my son!~~