Accidental Lessons

I'm not exactly sure how old I was; maybe I was about 8. I spent all kinds of time with my grandfather while my parents worked at a local sewing factory. Spring and summer were my favorite seasons because we would plant his garden together and tend to it and plan our entries for the county fair. He was my best friend.

It was during planting one year when he said one thing that has stuck with me for my entire life and will be passed on to my children and my grandchildren. We were planting 18 cabbage plants and he looked at me and said, "Always remember one thing Bear. It's ok to plant them deep and make sure you pack the soil firmly so that they will stand tall like soldiers."

Every spring I plant our flowers and putter in our yard and every spring I hear his voice echoing in my ears. This past weekend I watched my children pot some flowers that I bought for them and I heard myself saying, "Make them stand tall like soldiers."

I know when he said it he had no idea that he was impacting me in such a profound way. He was talking about his garden. But this is a lesson that reaches way beyond the garden gate. As mothers we strive to plant our children's roots deep. We want them to be grounded in faith, morals, joy, and strength. We tend them and we try to pack those life lessons in firmly so that one day our children can stand tall - like soldiers. One day they will be able to reach down to those deep roots and make a firm decision or take a strong stand.

My grandfather never intended to teach me all of that. But he said it and it stuck. And it grew. As I approach mothering every day I have to remind myself that every accidental lesson is a lesson just the same. Do I lose my temper? Do I use patience? Do I love freely? Do I demonstrate kindness to strangers?

May our best lessons be better than accidental. May our lessons be intentional and create strong children to stand tall in the days to come.