A Grandmother's dream . . .

We have a small grove, 20 acres of grapefruit, which buffers our home and 13 acres from the road. We bought it when the buzz was circulating through our small rural community that property values were going up (and they did) so much that growers would be better off to sell for development. This would, of course, have put houses nearby, and the beautiful seclusion we have is why we moved here in the first place! So, we bought the grove.

But more than a buffer, it has become a nice supplemental money-maker, and the picking crew has just finished this year’s crop. Through no fault of their own, the pickers leave some good fruit, and Danny loves to call up grandsons and offer them the gleaning opportunity so they can make some money. Do they ever love to hustle out there early in the mornings in the Polaris and pick, pick, pick!

Daughter Katie’s family owns a small feed store and country restaurant at the crossroads, so their older boys are involved in helping the family business. The best time for them to pick grapefruit is early, early in the mornings. Today, the four older boys were out picking already when I got up.

From the time I was a little girl, it was my dream to be married, have a large family, and live on a farm. Well, our family started growing during the ‘60s and ‘70s, right in the middle of the “Zero Population Growth” days. After our fourth, Danny was under so much pressure from coworkers, and we foolishly decided the world’s philosophy was more logical than the precious Word of God. Our family ended at four wonderful children.

Okay, tie it together, Bonnie. When I got up today, the sun was washing its golden rays over the grove and pasture, and hungry boys began coming in from their work, wondering what there was to eat. There is nothing to make a grandmother happier than to have her dream come true in the next generation, strong healthy boys who love the Lord, and a patriarch whose heart is to see them carry the banner forth, all sitting around the table enjoying our own free range eggs, bacon, grits, toast, strawberries (yes, they are ripe here), and . . . the juice of fresh picked grapefruits. Thank you, Lord. You know how to take our foolishness and turn it into beauty.