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| With my late grandparents and tending gardeners at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration in June 1982 |
Trust in the Lord with all your
heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight
Proverbs
3:5-6
You must judge a man by the
work of his hands.
African Proverb
Fresh
collard greens reign as the caviar of the rural South, and no self-respecting
African-American family gets through Thanksgiving or Christmas without some on
the table. This was especially true in our household. I could count on the
presence of these healthy greens at our holiday feasts, mainly because they
grew in our garden.
My
grandfather prided himself on producing the best bunches in town. In tending to
that particular crop, he explained that the key was to never to pull them until
after the first frost, usually sometime in November, right before Thanksgiving.
Other vegetable-watchers agree that collards seem to be sweeter, tender, and
more nutritious when nature’s timing and work restores them after a frost.
But
what does this collard greens philosophy mean for us in life?
§
Nothing before it’s time.
§
Lay the groundwork, plant seeds, and plan.
§
You can reap the benefits of the best, if you but wait.
§
Let the natural order of life guide you.
This
concept falls in line with something our society is not used to these days, delayed
gratification. This notion that you will
‘have what you’re supposed to have when you’re supposed to have it’, doesn’t always
fit in the multi-tasking, want it now behaviors of today. Waiting tests our patience, particularly
when we’re just ready for situations to be over, for news to come, or for
something to fruition.
I
also learned a lot about waiting from my family, particularly in our pre-Civil
Rights era and small-town beginnings. Because
I was raised Baptist, I was also taught about the power of faith. Core to our religious
beliefs, hope was the standard. As part of our ABC’s (always be constant) in
praying for God’s plan and timing to be revealed, we stood fast. We had held
out for opportunity, for laws to pass, and for a better day. Activists had
boldly laid out a strategy, spreading leaves for change. And those better days
did come, when it was our time and turn. The roots of a plan have righted and
yielded sweet victories!
How
can we further apply these principles to our own harvest?
If you believe within your heart
You'll know that no one can change
The path that you must go
You'll know that no one can change
The path that you must go
Lyrics
from “Believe in Yourself”, Performed by Lena
Horne in The Wiz
As
this banner year of 2013 made its way in, I experienced a few other truths
about timing and turns. I attended New Year’s Eve or ‘watch night’ service at
my church. The guest minister’s topic was “It’s My Time and My Turn.” She used
Ecclesiastes 3:1, To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:, which I referenced in an
earlier chapter of this book. One week later as I was listening
to a radio broadcast from another church’s ‘watch night’ service, the preacher used
the same scriptural reference. Then the following week, the same scenario of my
listening to a religious programming from New Year’s Eve service and the
preacher used the same scripture and same topic. Three times equal
confirmation!
What did this mean?
So I’ve had an
increase in work from the previous year (some greens) and published another
book. One of my goals in waiting was to start doing more motivational talks to
different groups. I was honored to speak at the Martin Luther King holiday
program, on the day of President Obama’s 2nd inauguration in my town
of residence, Leesburg Virginia. Journeying back to my hometown, I spoke for ‘Women’s
Day’ at one of the local churches. One of my other books, For
People of Strength, Soul, and Spirit: Seven Guidelines for Life & Career
Success, was
listed as suggested reading to an Ebony magazine article in March 2013. Just to name a couple of other victories, I attended the dedication
of a statue to Frederick Douglas in Emancipation Hall of the US Capitol on Juneteenth
and positioned myself at both 50th anniversary programs for the
March on Washington. And….God called me to preach His word! I’m currently
working on the process of getting licensed through my church, Mount Pleasant
Baptist in Herndon Virginia.
My love of
history, the Lord, my people, and my work has showed up in amazing ways— when
He said so. A motto I developed for this year is Be Heard, Be Seen in 2013! With the Lord’s blessings, all of these
pursuits will ‘enlarge my territory’ in the years to come.
So what are you
waiting for? Plant it in your mind and reap in His appointed time.
Excerpted from my book, Tools to Cultivate the Promised Land: Working Wisdom from My Grandparents' Garden, November 2013 https://www.createspace.com/4302667
