Check list for the garden. Great spot that receives morning sunlight, check. Prime location that the children can see the plants grow every day, check. Convenient access to water faucet and hose, check. 100 hands to help till up the soil, check.
Our garden began as most gardens begin, with careful planning and design. I drew out where we were going to place the pots. I spent countless minutes picking out stepping stones and then agonized where to put them in the garden so the children could have places to stand when watering. It had to be perfect. We arranged and organized and then rearranged and re-organized to make this the best looking garden ever in the history of preschool gardens. And then it happened.
The plants began to grow. The cucumbers started vining out and so did this one big thing in the middle of the garden. I knew the cucumbers were going to have vines running every which way but what was that big thing with those big leaves in the middle of the garden where there wasn't supposed to be anything? One guess was a squash. A second guess was a zucchini. The best guess of all was a pumpkin. How did that happen?
Remember the 100 hands that helped to till up the soil? One of them accidentally planted a pumpkin seed in the middle of the well planned and designed to be pretty garden. Have you ever seen a pumpkin vine out? It takes over the entire space.
As I lamented the demise of my well planned and designed to be pretty garden to a friend she pointed out that "sometimes the things that are accidents turn out to be the best things that happen to us." I was reminded of two things that day. One, I have friends who are very wise and two, life is like a garden. We can plan and design everything to be perfect but sometimes God plants a pumpkin to give you something better.
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