Garden Thoughts

I spent the last few minutes before dark cutting away at our squash plants, which, by the way, seem out of control- there's a lot of squash and we're not exactly crazy about it.  But that's not why I was cutting.  A friend pointed out little eggs on the leaves that will turn out to be squash bugs and ruin our plants if we don't, well, squash them.  Surprise.  Who knew?
So I went out and got busy checking all the leaves and clipping the ones that had eggs on them.  It was kind of nice to be out and to have some quiet time to myself in the cool of the day.  Today has been a good day but a busy one, and I haven't felt the time to just be still and think.  And all that thinking led to a connection between gardening and parenting.  I've decided I don't think they are all that different.
You start out the best you can, doing what you think will "work."  Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.  Sometimes you do all the "right" things and something still goes wrong.  You work and tend, care and watch.  Give what's needed, pull back on what's not.  Pray.  (yes- I even pray over our garden sometimes!)
In the end, you are faithful with what you have, knowing that the end result is ultimately not in your hands, but the Creator's, God's.  Is it not He who gives the harvest?
That gives me hope.  And rest in my heart.  At least for now.