For Christmas my son and daughter-in-law gave me an Advent Seed Calendar. I have had the best time planting the seeds from my Advent Seed Calendar … and watching them grow.
The very first seeds I planted were Basil, Butterhead lettuce, and Arugula.
I used an upside-down-lid from a huge Costco cookie platter. I filled the upside-down-lid with dirt and sprinkled on all three packets of seeds! Probably overcrowded … but we’ll see what happens.
Even with being overcrowded the Basil, Butterhead lettuce, and Arugula have done very well! For several weeks now I have been harvesting goodness from the planter tray.
Here you can see Basil on little pizzas I made for dinner. Yumness!
Here you can see Arugula (and Spring Onions, also from my Advent Seed Calendar) in soup bowls awaiting noodles and hot broth.
And voila! Yummy noodle soup! With fresh Arugula!
For the past two weeks I have been heavily harvesting the Butterhead Lettuce and Arugula to make Spring Rolls for hubby’s lunches each day.
Last night our son came over for dinner and I made tacos. We all enjoyed the Butterhead lettuce and Arugula on our tacos.
Even with all that harvesting, check out the planter tray. It’s still doing amazingly well! The Butterhead lettuce and Arugula keep right on producing leaves no matter how many I pluck off. And I’ll be gathering Basil again tonight for little pizzas.
The Basil, Butterhead lettuce and Arugula all growing together in the upside-down-lid planter tray is a really good picture of what Family is like.
As a Family, we are all “growing together” in one “planter tray” (aka: home) … while at the same time, each one of us within the Family is uniquely different … with our own unique “flavor profile” … for our own unique purpose in life.
The Butterhead lettuce is perfect for Spring Rolls. Whereas the Basil would not work as well for Spring Rolls.
However … the Basil is perfect on pizza! Whereas Butterhead lettuce would not work well at all on pizza.
The Basil, Butterhead lettuce, and Arugula all growing together in the planter tray have their roots all intertwined together. When I pour water on the planter tray, they all share the water together. When I set the planter tray outside in the sunshine, they all enjoy the sun together.
This is the way the Family works.
As Family, we are all living together in the same home, under the same roof. Our “roots are intertwined” (so to speak). When God showers blessings on our Family, we all share the blessings together. When things are sunny and cheerful in the home, we all thrive in the positive sunny environment together.
Conversely, if my planter tray was to run dry on water … all the members of the planter tray would suffer. If my planter tray were to lack sunshine, all the members of the planter tray would suffer. The same thing is true when it comes to Family.
If I brush slightly up against the planter tray, the Basil leaves give off their distinctively fabulous aroma. As I’m picking the Arugula, it has its own distinctively wonderful smell. The Butterhead lettuce doesn’t really have a distinctive smell.
In the same way, each member of the Family has their own distinctive personality which adds flair.
Some members of the Family have dynamic personalities, like the bold aromas of Basil and Arugula. Other members of the Family have mild personalities, like the Butterhead lettuce which doesn’t really have a smell … these members of the Family tend to be quiet and reserved.
Also … just like the Arugula’s bold flavor profile is especially well-suited for noodle soup, tacos, and tossed salad … so also, certain members of the Family have special giftings in areas they are well-suited for. For example, in my own family Hubby is a born leader, and he’s very gifted at math and numbers.
The Butterhead lettuce, on the other hand, has a delicate mellow flavor profile, as well as a soft delicate texture. This could be more like me in our family … I’m a bit more mellow, and I am gifted when it comes to words.
Each member of the Family has their own unique distinctive “aroma” (aka: personality) … as well as their own unique “flavor profile” (aka: giftings)
God designed the Family. Family is a beautiful thing! It’s all of us growing together, perhaps slightly overcrowded in an upside-down-lid planter tray.
Family shares roots which are intertwined.
Family shares showers of blessings … and sunshine-joys!
Family is one planter tray … filled with individually unique family members, each with their own specific “aroma” they bring to the world … and their own specific “flavor profile” they bring to the world for their own specific purpose they have been called to do.
Thank you God for the beautiful blessing of Family!
