The Afternoon of Life

I am not a gardener...and I make no bones about it.  I would love a beautiful garden.  I appreciate beautiful gardens.  But I do not have a green thumb...nothing even close to that shade.   With that said, gardening fascinates me because the Scriptures make several references to gardening...to farming...to plants...you get the picture.  I don't remember when I did the research for the following but I do know I was inspired to do it after reading, "I am the vine and you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. " (John 15:5)  Living close to wine vineyards, I understand that a lot of work goes into growing those grapes and getting different tastes for wines (I am not a wine drinker...but the vineyards are beautiful).  I wondered if there could be a correlation between the care of vines and the care that must be taken to ensure that we remain healthy in our connection to our vine.  I researched th

  I choose to remember… The boy who wondered if he could watch leaves growing The boy who wobbled on skates playing hockey The boy whose 7 th birthday cake was eaten by the family dog The boy who ran away with me and friends for one day…till our food supply ran out The boy who locked arms with me and those same friends and walked down the road in  Florida singing at the top of our lungs, “We all live in a Yellow Submarine” The boy who bit into an “elephant ear” and burned his tongue The teen who played football and had friends The young man who served honorably in the Army 82 nd Airborne The construction worker who built houses with his hands The uncle who taught Bible verses to his niece and nephews The chef who could make a meal out of 3 ingredients The rescuer of all small creatures The recluse who loved solitude The man who saw beauty in the unique The man whose broken heart caused him to refuse to be loved The man whose independence was