Grow Up

Grow up. “Grow up!” I yelled. I was tired of waiting for the little seeds to burst through the earth. If it takes this long for a seedling to pop up, how long will it take to produce something to eat? Mom came outside and told me to be patient and they will grow. It takes time, patience, and a lot of love for vegetables to grow from a seed. I told mom that it’s hard to be patient at 8 years old. She laughed and said, “Johnny, the seeds will grow as long as you continue to take care of them. Just be patient.”

My mom was a waitress and lost her job due to a nasty virus that was going around. The restaurant completely shut down and the owner had no idea of when he would be opening back up. Dad was receiving a small unemployment check because his job shut down, too. Schools had also been closed, so I was missing the hot lunches from the lunch lady really bad. We had become “poor” within just a few months of the virus coming to town. 

I overheard mom and dad talking about the bills and the college fund account they had started for me when I was born. They had enough in the college fund to pay the house, car, and insurance payments for about 6 months. Dad’s unemployment check could cover the utilities but there wasn’t enough left over to buy groceries since mom wasn’t receiving an unemployment check yet. They were also discussing the local food pantry to get groceries and our local church to ask for a little help to buy monthly medications. 

They next day, we made our first trip to the local food pantry. I could tell my parents felt embarrassed by needing to ask for help with groceries. The workers welcomed us and tried to help mom and dad feel comfortable. One lady walked over to me and asked if she could show me something while my parents were getting boxes of groceries. We walked over to a long white table that was covered in little paper packets. The packets had pictures of vegetables on them. She asked me if I would like to have some packets of seeds so I could grow my own veggies. My eyes got wide and I said, “Yes!”.  She gave me one packet each of green beans, carrots, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers. The nice lady told me how to plant the seeds and what to do to keep them growing. She also said that if I forgot what she told me that the directions were on the back of each seed packet. I thanked her for the seeds and told her I would plant them as soon as I got home. She put the seed packets in a brown paper lunch bag and gave them to me. I smiled and ran out the door to the car with my bag of treasures in my hand. Mom and dad were just closing the trunk of the car. I excitedly told them all about the seeds, how to plant them, and how to take care of them. They laughed at my excitement and said they would help get me started. Together, we put all of the groceries away when we got home then we went outside. Mom found flower pots and bags of potting soil in the garage and dad dug up a small section of sod in the backyard and used a hoe to soften the soil. I carefully planted the seeds and dad helped me with the water hose and showed me how to twist the nozzle for a light shower spray for the seeds. I was so very happy! 

Later that evening after supper, we drove to our church. I sat on the church steps as my parents went inside. The sun was shining and the cool air felt good. I thought about the seeds I had planted and wondered how much they may have grown since we planted them earlier that day. I was smiling to myself thinking about the veggies that would be growing soon. I also wondered if there would be enough veggies to give to my neighbors to help them since everyone was having the same job problems. My parents came out of the church looking relaxed for the first time in several months. I felt like everything was going to be ok. 

As soon as we got back home, I ran behind the house to check on my seeds. My mouth dropped. Everything looked the same. Nothing had changed. I turned around and cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, “Mom! Dad! Someone stole my seeds!” They came out the back door and looked at me. They grinned from ear to ear. Mom said, “Johnny, it takes several days for the seeds to be in the soil before they start popping up.” I just hung my head down and walked towards the house. I was so disappointed. That night as I went to bed and said my prayers, I thanked God for helping my parents today and for the vegetable seeds. I also asked God if he would help them grow. I finished up my prayers, said “Amen” then fell into a deep sleep.

I woke up early the next morning, got dressed, ate breakfast, brushed my teeth then ran outside to the backyard to check out my garden. Everything looked the same but I wasn’t as disappointed as yesterday since mom said it would take a few days for the seeds to start growing. I turned on the water hose and lightly watered my seeds. After I finished, I stuck my finger in the soil to make sure it wasn’t too dry. It was just right! Dad said if I use too much water at one time that the ground would become soggy and the seeds would rot. He said it was best to water them Just a little at a time. He was right! I turned off the water hose and helped dad clean out the garage. A couple of hours later, mom came out and said that lunch was ready. We were starved! After eating, mom helped me with my school work and I helped her fold laundry then we went outside to help dad finish up in the garage. That evening, we had a nice supper thanks to the food pantry. I helped my parents clean up the kitchen and put dishes away. I walked outside to look at my garden one last time before going to bed. No sign of anything green. Just dirt.

The next morning I raced outside to the garden again. No changes. “Why is it taking so long for the seeds to grow?” I asked myself. “Grow up!” I yelled in frustration. “Please, just grow”, I almost cried. Mom came outside and said it takes time to learn patience just like it takes time for seeds to grow. Mom held my hand and we walked around to the front of the house. Dad was already in the car waiting for us. Dad winked at me and said, “Let’s go fishing!” So the three of us went to a nearby lake. We fished and laughed at dad’s jokes while eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Dad caught three trout and mom fried them for supper. We had a great day! I was so tired that I went to bed without looking at my garden that evening.

I laid in bed as the sun was shining through my bedroom window. I could hear mom in the kitchen. Dad came to my room to say that breakfast was ready. I got dressed, ate breakfast, brushed my teeth and this time I walked out to my garden. I didn’t run because I no longer expected to see anything yet. I think I learned patience. As I stared down at the soil, I could see just a little bit of green. I got on my knees for a closer look. “They grew!” I yelled. I could see little green leaves growing everywhere! I was so excited! I ran back in the house and told mom and dad they wouldn’t hear me yell, “Grow up!” anymore because they finally grew!