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Kitchen Garden

Among the many activities we love to do as a family is to plant a small kitchen garden every Spring. It does not take much to have a garden going. For those who like raised beds, it is easy to purchase them from the garden section of most hardware stores. We grew up tilling the land and planting directly into the tilled ground.

Preparing a garden directly onto the ground does take a little bit of time…but the interaction with nature and soil is such a relaxing, healing experience. (especially if you don’t mind getting your hands and feet dirty). One can always use gardening gloves and boots if need be. The tools to the do the job, the options are many…we use a “fork Jembe” imported from our home.

We like to plant a variety of vegetables as well as fruits and flowers. This season we got a lot of produce…from kale, Zucchini, butternut, cantaloupe, scallions, cherry tomatoes and regular tomatoes, corn, and so much more. What is different this year is that the Spring was kind dry but July-August has been rainy. This has had a wonderful effect on the tomatoes and kale… the garden looks and ‘feels’ happy.

One aspect I have to mention; Gardening also does have its challenges. The biggest challenge, animals…from groundhogs that love the kales and cabbage to deers that will eat almost anything green. Well, a fence can keep some of these animals out of your garden but ultimately…you may have to share with them. When it comes to nutrients, to stay truly organic, use animal manure and not fertilizers. Pest control is another topic but the less chemicals you use, the better…after all this is one of the purposes for our kitchen garden…eat fresh and organic.

Now for the best part, thanks to a friend, I got a nice recipe for the zucchini…zucchini cake. Love it…so delicious and healthy. Even the mention of it makes my mouth water. Just reach out for a quick and easy recipe. The kale, tomatoes and more have made dinners a ‘garden to table’ experience. We have had so much produce that we have friends come over and pick what they want. We can only be grateful to God for his Providence. It is fun to garden…try it!

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March 26th – Faith in God or Man?

A few years ago, this day started like any other day, little did we know, our lives would not be the same again faced with a dilemma…Faith in God or Man!

The morning routine included dropping off our kids to school and then heading out to our respective occupations. I had a longer drive, so usually was the early bird. In no time, we were out and about. A special part of my morning included morning worship. Later in the day, our daughter had to take a physical for she was poised to have one of the most remarkable summer sports camp ever.

Her mom took her to the pediatrician. She called and indicated that the pediatrician had a hard time getting her heart beats and blood pressure. Consequently, she sent them to the ER to get the results and then revert back to her. It was no big deal; our daughter was very active and healthy. We would crisscross at the gate as they drove to the ER, and I was just getting home. This was about 6pm

About 4 hours later, her mom would call me and say, “I think there’s something wrong!” She would explain that they had done the ECG more than 5 times… I was still calm and relaxed…until she said… “I think you need to come to the hospital.” I protested saying, just get the ECG and come home. She retorted, her voice sharp and piercing, certainly alarmed…

I will cut the story short. Apparently, our daughter who had spent a whole day in school, was walking, talking and doing everything a normal human being would do…had NO heartbeat…Let me repeat that…NO heartbeat! Not only that, but the ECG’s were basically noise and not the sinusoidal wave of a functioning heart.

Immediately I got to the hospital, my mindset was, ‘THERE’S GOT TO BE A MISTAKE.’ However, there wasn’t. I was shown the results, and for sure, they differed so much from what a normal heart would read. I was not shaken, while the doctors sort means to transfer her to a specialized children’s hospital… I was besides her mom telling her not to worry. When we saw the diagnosis, ([withheld]/heart failure), I looked at my partner and said, “She (nurse) made a mistake.”

What happened next, you can only imagine it in the movies…an influx of people, unknown to us start streaming to our daughter, giving her gifts, hugs and more… Forget HIPPA rules, word travels first in a hospital. It was a last rites impromptu ceremony. We just stood there, transfixed and unsure of what all this commotion meant.

To be continued. This is what made the difference for us. The doctors spoke what they saw based on their observations. We the parents, spoke what we knew and wanted for our daughter based on our FAITH. We did not belief that our girl’s heart had failed, nor that she would need another one. For in our thoughts, we know we serve a God who says, ” I have plans to prosper you, not harm you.’ (Jer 29:11). I have heard people who were given 6 months to live. However, only God knows when one’s time is over. However, often not, we believe the doctor more than God.

In this case…who would prevail?

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KINDNESS _ Revisited

Pay it Forward…Happy Valentine

 

I had posted this back in 2019…but a recent encounter with a cordial connection on Linkedin resurrected it. I have made a few retouches but the message is ripe. Recent incidences in our wonderful world reveal a deep divide between one human and another. It is sad, just how quickly humans forgets that titles are just titles…bottom line, we are human beings and we should treat each other as thus…

It’s at a time when a little kindness can go a long way. In addition, Valentine is around the corner. The Gospel charges us to ‘Invite those who cannot invite us back…least they repay you…’LK 14:12-13. Furthermore, Christ charges us to be humble, LK 14:11 and that when we give, it needs be a secret between us and God. ‘So that your giving maybe in secret…’ Mathew 6:4. Thus said, it is out of humility I write the following hoping to fire up my readers to action.

A few weeks back I went to go pick up my daughter from soccer practice. Since she could not play soccer, she took the position of Team Manager. I could not get a hold of her, and as I waited, one of her teacher’s showed up with a car load of ‘back to school night’ groceries. Her car was overloaded, literary.

On noticing she could use a hand, I went over and helped her unload the goodies and load them on a hand trolley. Certainly, I bet she could have managed on her own, but with a little help, we were done in a breeze. The smile on her face said it all. She was so grateful. I did not think more about it. To me, I did what any person ‘should’ have done in such a situation?

Long and behold, a few days later I got a postal mail. In it, was a beautiful medallion (see picture). I was so moved. I could not imagine or even expect that my innocent actions were that meaningful to her. Either way, her gratitude added an extra spark to ‘pay it forward.’ More so, I have to pass the Kindness Token to someone else.

Do you know someone who deserves one of this KINDNESS TOKEN medallions? Valentine is in a few days.  Cheer someone up…Spread the love…but remember, love yourself first for you cannot give that which you don’t have!