A newsletter is included with each delivery of lovingly grown vegetables, herbs, and fruit. It has been surprisingly fun to write the small essay and I treasure the opportunity to share what the garden means to me. Time spent alone working in the soil and our two children (11 and 16) give me an abundance of topics and stories to share.
Garden Love Song
The sun is shining on my windshield. Fresh air flows in through the half open windows as I drive to the garden. The radio sings.
“I wanna touch the earth
I wanna break it in my hands
I wanna grow something wild and unruly”—The Chicks
Lyrics invoke emotions (and maybe a watery eye too) as I realize how fortunate I am to be able to do this work. How blessed I am to have the support of family and friends and all of you on this seasonal journey. And how much I absolutely love doing it.
“Happy is as happy does
Grab a six –string, find a rope swing, Hang a palm tree in your truck
Drink a beer just because
Steal a slow dance in a rain storm, And a kiss from who you love
Laugh and live with a half-full cup
Yeah, happy is as happy does”—Kenny Chesney
Farming is definitely hard work. Most of that is physically hard work with long hours. Even though that type of effort isn’t valued today as it once was, that doesn’t make being a grower any less valuable, any less noble, or any less important to pursue. It is often a labor of love, a pursuit to be happy. And that can be enough.
“Some days you start singin’, And you don’t need a reason
Sometimes the world’s just right, Your clear eyes aint even blinkin’
Got a heart full of grateful, For all you’ve been given
Some days you just get by, Yeah, some days you’re just alive
Some days you’re livin’” – Dierks Bentley
Once again we take the risk, we plant the seeds, and water, worry, and hope. A whole lifetime of living transpiring in a few summer months. To grow, to live, to be, to stumble, to overcome, to harvest, and to rest. Taking place both in the tender plants and the aging farmer. It is a unique and incredible experience. I’m so glad to be on it with you.
As we travel the road together this year, I continue to be humbled by the faith you have placed in me to grow food for you. Thank you so much for supporting and encouraging this urban farm dream. I will hear many songs on the radio this year, but your encouragement and support are the sweetest notes to my ears. Buckle up, here we go :).
Be Abundantly Nourished!
Aaron Lindemann
Member of Redeemer Lutheran Church