Fruitful Happiness

Psalm 128
 ¹ How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
Who walks in His ways.
² When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and it will be well with you.
³ Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
Within your house,
Your children like olive plants
Around your table.
⁴ Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the LORD.
 ⁵ The LORD bless you from Zion,
And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
⁶ Indeed, may you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel! 

 We have a garden in our backyard.  Some of you have heard us talk about it.  Mike and I love to garden.  We hate to weed, but we do it.  We really enjoy the fruits of our labor, the harvest.  Last year we decided that this year's garden would be small because we are so busy with work, band, etc.  We never plant our garden until the beginning of June.  April seems too wet and cold, May is too busy, so June it is.  This year even June seemed crazy and  kind of wet.  So we were thought we would be satisfied with a small garden.  Well, my father seemed to have other ideas.  He decided to have a garden, and give us the plants he couldn't put in.  We now have 17 tomato plants, not including the volunteer tomatos coming up next to the back porch.  We also have eight pepper plants, a little bit of peas and beans, radishes, cucumbers, zucchini and watermelon.    We couldn't let anything go to waste.  It just isn't in us.  I hate to be wasteful.  So I like the second verse of this psalm.  It speaks to me, let's just say.  I am happy that we have the garden we have. 

I also like that this psalm talks about your family being a part of your garden as a you are the vine, the spouse is a fruitful vine, and your children will all be around your table as olives on a tree.  There will always be plenty.  What an uplifting set of verses.