Who can say “no” to springtime?

“When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings. When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.” – Deuteronomy 24:19-21

Saturday morning Rebekah and I drove down to our favorite garden supply venue. Logan’s Trading Company occupies the old Seaboard (railroad) Station in downtown Raleigh and they have absolutely everything; it’s a great destination even if you’re not buying.

Our primary goal was to pick up seeds, fertilizer, and a sign for our church community garden. We’re participating – again – in the Logan’s Nursery Plant a Row for the Hungry program.

So we shopped seeds, and Rebekah picked out a variety of stuff – based on the question, “what would we enjoy in a basket of vegetables?”

Our church has a big heart for the community, and a real passion for the kinds of ministry where we can address the real day-to-day needs of real people. One of the biggest, most generous, hearts belongs to Larry Roper. Larry puts so much of his free time into making our church campus beautiful; the rose garden, the landscaping, the “plant a row for the hungry”project.

The WFPC kids get involved too, from the preschoolers to the high school youth. During 2015 we harvested over a thousand pounds of vegetables for the project.

Back at home, it was one of those springtime days where we kept finding ourselves outside, drinking in the outdoors. Scout spent much of the day on the deck enjoying the air. We can almost track the trees budding out by the minute; sudden color, daffodils pushing their way through the pine straw, new life on the insistent edge of a rampage.

To be honest, I’d like another few weeks of winter. But who can say no to spring? Who can resist the imperative of life? Who can tell the birds to stop singing?

I know I can’t.

In love, and because of love – DEREK