Our First Fruit

This strawberry is the first fruit from our backyard garden. It represents hours of labor preparing the earth for planting. One of our house guests spent hours in the garden with me digging and turning the earth. He even broke a shovel. My husband and I pulled out all the rocks in that patch of land and pulled up weeds and grass. Together we mixed in good earth and raked out roots. Together we bought small plants and plotted out where to plant them. We watered the new plants and watched them grow. This strawberry represents the miracle of growth from a seed, with the help of the Sun and the rain. It represents the sacrifice of our time to nurture our plants into producing fruits, vegetables and herbs. It's a big deal, it is our first fruit. This is not just our first piece of fruit, it is our only piece of fruit, thus far. So, at dinner tonight I will cut this strawberry into 5 pieces, a slice for everyone, and we will pray, thanking God for this gift and the many blessings that He rains down upon us. . .

. . .and that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor - it is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:13