by Kathy Panicola

Created on: May 19, 2009   Last Updated: October 26, 2009

When I was a young child my parents took my sisters and I to visit our grandparents every weekend. It was always something we looked forward to, especially in the spring and summer months. And it all had to do with grandpa's garden. He worked on his garden all of the time and us kids got to help. On beautiful sunny days we would all be out in the garden with our little gloves on, picking out rocks and weeds. My dad would till the soil,and grandpa would plant the seed, letting us help in everyway.We all seemed to have such fun together. Me, I would chase my sisters around with worms, and my grandfather, and father would laugh. I remember how that little worm would make them both scream so loud. Being the youngest it always gave me such power.

Imagine, if you can. A short stocky older man in his sixties, with a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes because his son pulled into the driveway, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon with his three little granddaughters. The three girls run to him with such excitement and happiness just because they knew they would be gardening with him. It sounds like the writing of a opening scene to a hallmark movie, but it isn't, its a scene from my childhood memory. It gives me such a warm and loving feeling. My grandfather didn't only show us how to plant a garden filled with vegetables, he showed us how to tenderly care for it as he tenderly cared for us. He showed us how the flowers soon turned to the delicious tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. He showed us how to watch and wait patiently for them to grow until they were at the picking stage. We waited, and waited, until that special Sunday afternoon, the Sunday that we could pick. We would run to the garden with such delight, picking big beautiful red tomatoes, wonderful green peppers, and cucumbers that could win prizes. Of course we all came out with little red faces, because it seems we ate as many tomatoes as we picked, and once again my grandfather, and father would laugh.

Gardening with grandpa was such fun, I miss those days. We worked hard and learned so much, not only about gardening, but about love, caring, nurturing, and patients. So many lessons that I have carried with me through my life. So, if your a grandparent who likes to garden instead of trying to keep the kids out, invite them in and take the time to teach them, and remember your not only teaching them about gardening, your teaching them about life.

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