Anthropomorphizing Nature

August 29, 2023

Beloved:
          This picture is two of the four tomato plants grown from some  two inch, single stem suckers I pinched from a church member’s plants in mid-June.  Normally I keep my tomato plants carefully staked, pruned and off the ground.  But as an  experiment I haven't touched these except to set down cages, water, and add  two pours of comfrey root tea.  The tea is good but I’m fairly confident it's the neglect that has them so loaded with fruit now, letting them do as they please instead of fussing over them like I have my other plants which are now winding down.  They definitely produced, but not like these sucker starts are already.  
          Fecund* ~ I remember the college class and classroom, the very time and place I learned that word. It certainly was not a religion class but the word struck me as profoundly theological, a word achingly descriptive the nature of the God of my faith, One who ever makes, creates and gives birth to life, or as I often like to add to our liturgies; life, life and more life.  Fecund implies both the proven capacity and energy to produce ~  abundantly and rapidly ~  like these tiny tomato starts, the back field on the church property already needing mowed again, and rabbit warren in the brush pile near our trash cans.   
          I like thinking that Nature loves her work, best of all  when we leave her to it, treat her like she knows what she’s doing.  She may well have a reason for not letting grass grow beneath the oak tree.  Yes or no, believing that she does lets me fret less and find something else to do.   Fall bulbs will come in the mail before long and then there’s all that fun Fall work to do. Well before that I’ll have more tomatoes to pick, thanks to the One who is ever creating, making, growing and giving birth.  May you find joy given and received in this beautiful day. 
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~ peace & prayers,
pastor annette

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