I had a wonderful experience today. It combined two of my favorite things in the world, or should I say... two things that I am most exuberant about. Gardening and People, both capitalized to show just how important they are.
A friend of mine, who shall remain nameless because she doesn't like to be the center of attention unless she is hula hooping in front of a crowd, has invited me numerous times to work in the garden at the church that she attends and I still sometimes visit. She is more of a people person than a garden person, and she has a heart roughly the size of my head beating in her chest. She, in other words, is a giver. She always has something that she is passing on to someone else whether it be clothing, furniture, or, in this case, fresh garden produce.
The garden at the church is aptly called "The Garden of Feedin'" and is part of the church's food ministry. It was started twelve years ago and is now feeding over a hundred families every week on a regular basis, all with only volunteer help. After folks have picked up a food box containing canned food, bread, milk etc., at the food pantry they are then sent outside to the garden where they are loaded up with fresh produce, picked earlier that morning by the dozen or so garden workers.
Some of these long term volunteers are more comfortable getting dirt under their fingernails than talking to folks in need, and some, like my hula hooping friend just want to fill a bag with nutritious goodies and give someone a tremendously big hug. As for me, I will return in order to get my shared dose of Gardening and People. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to give something to others who may not be as blessed as I...
This morning we gave away cabbages, lettuce, turnips and radishes as well as freshly picked peas, spinach and oregano. All good veggies, all good for the body.
Hugs from the hula hooping gardener... Well, as you can imagine... they're good for the soul.
