Simple Pleasures and Rediscovered Treasures

Sometimes the most delicious food you eat is food that has history. Our backyard holds many secret treasures. There are several pecan trees that bear every other fall and a rather frail looking peach tree that seems to sag under the weight of the small peaches it presents us with each year. The fig tree in the very back of the yard is a favorite spot for the boys to play under in the summer and the pomegranate tree is watched longingly by the boys (and me) for signs that fruit is forthcoming. This house was built by J's grandfather and lovingly tended for many years so that we can enjoy these things. J often tells stories of helping his grandfather in the garden, planting and weeding and hoeing. He talks of the things he learned at his grandfathers side as they tended the tomatoes and peppers and greens. He spent his childhood in this backyard. As I watch my boys spend their childhood in this backyard I realize that J's grandfather knew they would be here one day. He knew that just like their dad, they too, would rescue the few tiny, gloriously sweet peaches from the birds and ants. He knew also that they would be watching that pomegranate tree like hawks from the appearance of that first bright orange bloom until late summer when the fruit hangs heavy on the tree and can be eaten on the back porch with juice from the jewel like sweetness staining hands and mouths. He foresaw his great-grandchildren solemnly presenting me with grocery bags full of thin shelled pecans and asking if this is enough for both a pie and brownies. As J's grandfather tended the backyard with his grandson he knew that someday J would camp out in this same backyard with his children on warm nights when the smell of honeysuckle is so thick and heavy in the air, you can taste it on the back of your tongue. J's grandfather knew that one day J would watch his children rediscover the very same treasures that J found in this backyard as a boy. As I watch my sons brave the blackberry brambles that run along the fence and weave through the hedges to pick the tiny jewels or listen to them wonder aloud how many peaches we think we can rescue this year, I am thankful for this wonderful gift, for these treasures. I am thankful for the legacy left for J and our boys.