By Georgette Recker, Somervell County Master Gardener Intern
Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” -Marcel Proust
We are grateful for many things in our lives. Home, family, nourishment, friends – all are among the blessings most of us would list if asked. Fortunately, as we move through the years, we continue to fill our baskets, and those baskets become bountiful beyond our greatest hopes. I decided to become a Master Gardener, and for that I am grateful.
Having come to understand that becoming a Master Gardener follows a similar path as a tiny seed, I planted my tiny seed of hope and began to set down roots in the Somervell County chapter of Master Gardeners. Smiles, hugs, laughter, new knowledge, and inclusion have allowed me to feel grounded in the group as my roots have securely anchored.
Even the most inexperienced gardener knows that stems and leaves follow the development of roots. Eight out of ten classes have passed now with only two left before the training period is over. During this time, blessing after blessing have appeared just as the leaves of a plant unfold and reach for the sun. A compliment is given to me, and there is a new leaf. An opinion is asked of me, and there is a new leaf. A joke is shared, and there is another. I learn something about a new friend, and a whole new branch of leaves sprout. I have met so many wonderful, accomplished, and amazing people – Master Gardeners, interns, and teachers. They make me happy. I’m basking in the sunshine of my Master Gardener community, and just like the leaves use sunshine to create nourishment for a plant and send it down the stem to the roots, I am soaking up new people and experiences, and my soul is being nourished.
I am grateful to the people who make me happy. They are the charming gardeners who are making my soul blossom. My basket is overflowing.