Though I do not believe a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there and I am prepared to expect wonders.
~Henry David Thoreau
It is a wonder that I am here sitting in Sacramento at my brother’s home visiting him and his family. As I write it is day 3 of our visit and I am still jet lagged and adjusting to time change and climate. It is currently 92 degrees on its way to103: Hot! We just visited Soil Born Farms, a farm created to educate youth in healthy food and build community. I find its vision inspirational and its actualization encouraging in these challenging times. It is heart warming to be with family and a wonder to be able to see how the seeds my parents planted in raising us have been communicated to my nieces and their families. We see the joy and the love that have taken root and sprouted in my brother’s children and the way they are living their lives and parenting their children. I did not expect wonders as I was growing up.My brother Bob, my only sibling, is six years younger than me and we were not particularly close growing up, but over time with effort and intention this changed. Not having children myself it’s special to have time with my brother’s kids and their families. Our time together is limited and precious. Time goes by so quickly. The children grow so fast and we want to be a part of their lives and their community. My parents are no longer alive but I feel their presence and appreciate how the seeds they planted have germinated. It is a wonder Bob and I are quite different but there is an intermingling of roots and interest. It is a wonder meditation and psychotherapy became central to both of us—a certain questing and desire to grow and help each other live our practice. We are close in heart but physically there is distance.
New England where I live is beautiful but I have always found California to be a special place and each time my husband and I visit Bob I am tempted to move out here. David and I consider moving but the roots we planted on the east coast are well established and the thought of beginning anew feels formidable. During our visit to Soil Born Farms I saw a display of seeds and bought some for our vegetable garden back home. I like the thought of California beans creating a beanstalk in our backyard. The beans are red. The beans we grew last year were green but the red ones are similar. They are described as 12-24 inches long cover tall vining plants. Last summer we had a bean pole that reminded us of Jack and the beanstalk. Our gardener erected a teepee of bamboo poles and the seeds grew up the pole and reached the second story of our house and we needed a ladder to get the high ones. It amazed us—a wonder from the earth to us. This summer I thought the seeds I bought at the farm would be our piece of California, but I discovered that they came from the Hudson Valley in New York. This made me smile. Physical distance does matter but seeds can be planted and grow in more than one place. We live 3000 miles apart but we are interconnected. Yet distance is an issue. I feel sad I can’t easily drop in on him and his wife or easily attend family events. It was special to see Lucas, my grandnephew, graduate to a yellow belt in karate and Noemi, my grandniece, dance in the aisle at her Mom’s community pop concert as she watched her mother sing, and celebrate Esteban, my niece’s eldest turn 13.
Traveling is more difficult. I had to bring my walking poles since I need to ambulate without limping. My stomach is protesting the change of routine and the food I eat when traveling, and enjoy eating with family, snacks on the plane, ice cream and gelato with my grand niece and nephews, and dinners out with everyone. Fatigue, however, is the biggest problem. I get tired. Sadly, Bob and I both share this too. I hold on to the wonder of it all and hope more seeds can be planted and that I can see them grow wherever they land. Relationships are precious and the planting of seeds as Thoreau writes, is a wonder.