Tomato

It has been a good year for gardeners who love tomatoes. They just keep coming and coming. Even my own container-garden tomato plants have produced a lot of fruit. This has been a summer of experimentation for me in container gardening. Because we moved to Stewartville in June, it was too late to plant a garden. So instead, I grew plants on the back patio. What I learned about growing container tomatoes is that they need a lot more watering, and that extra needs to be taken in avoiding watering the leaves. In spite of my learning curve in container gardening, the tomatoes keep coming and coming.

Although I have been harvesting a lot of tomatoes from my container garden, there haven’t been enough tomatoes for me to make freezer pizza sauce. The daily pickings go right into that day’s cucumber/onion/tomato salad (thank you, Gib and Darlene for the cukes!) or regular-old green salads. Thankfully, I have been gifted a plethora of tomatoes from the gardens of a couple of generous SUMC folk (thank you, Dave M. and Gretchen O.!), which will become the base for my special freezer pizza sauce. Then, when the frigid winter Minnesota temperatures call for a supper of Eric’s delicious homemade pizza, this summer blessing will offer itself up as a winter blessing, sparking oohs and aahs to taste buds and stomach alike!

I never tire of the many ways God provides when there doesn’t seem to be enough of something in life. A garden of vegetable delights provided by generous church friends. A long, soaking late-August rain on parched lawns and fields. Reconnecting with a good clergy friend via Zoom after an emotional and spiritual drought caused by the pandemic. The cup of God’s abundant love and providence keeps overflowing with blessings.

It’s been a long, tiring two weeks for me, for the added responsibility of attending (online) three days of Conference events got my schedule out of whack. I guess the older I get, the more I am like a baby, in needing a regular schedule! Although I appreciate the opportunity to participate in Conference events, I’m looking forward to some big-time sabbath time this coming weekend: celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary with Eric (how can it be 37 years already?!) and spending an afternoon in Kenosha with Leif and Beyza and our two adorable granddaughters, Kysi and Clea. 

May you too, delight in the cup of God’s abundant love and providence in your life!

-Pastor Laura