Perhaps it is because of the unusual good spring weather we’ve had. Or maybe it is the anticipation of spreading a truckload of mulch in the yard and beginning the planting of annuals. Whatever the reason, I remembered a sweet little book I have that sits on my shelf of “keepers” upstairs. It’s called We Planted Miracles Today, Lord, A Mother’s Meditations and Prayers. It is a Hallmark gift book written by Barbara Burrow. Every time I think about planting marigolds, I think about the title poem:

We planted flowers today, Lord.
My youngest kept calling them “miracles”
instead of marigolds.
We laughed and had
a wonderful time together
planting your “miracles.”

The little book is copyrighted 1973 so it would have been given to me or I bought it (there’s no inscription) back when my children were babies or toddlers. Now my grandchildren are old enough to be planting “miracles.”

Marigolds are probably the easiest flower to grow from seed and offer an opportunity for us to teach so many lessons of God’s love and care to the youngest up to the oldest of our grandchildren. The next time you visit with your grandkids, have a pot or an old margarine container on hand, a little potting soil, and a package of marigolds. Spend some time with your grandchildren filling the container and planting the seeds. Add a little water and if the seeds need to travel, put the lid on with instructions to take it off so the sun can shine on the little plants when they sprout.

Lessons to be learned? The youngest can grasp the idea of God’s creative power, the miracle of a plant growing from seed. The oldest can learn that hardened hearts (seeds) can still produce fruit when watered with the Word and allowed to bask in the Son’s light. There are plenty of scriptures and parables in the Old and New Testament that use gardening as a means of teaching life lessons. Use a concordance or go to Bible Gateway.com and do a keyword search for “seed.”

Why not try planting a few miracles in the hearts of your grandchildren this spring?

[There are several used copies of Burrow’s book available on Amazon.com.]

Copyright © 2009 by Karen Robbins