Lessons from my Sweet Potato Patch

This year was a first in our garden for MANY things. Pumpkins, butternut squash, sunflowers, potatoes, okra, and so on.
It was also the first year for sweet potatoes.
I planted a whole bed of sweet potatoes. Very eager to see how we would do. Once I saw that they were established….well, you just basically let em go.
Yeah, really.
They have a running vine, looks like ivy. It’s pretty. All summer they grew. The vines ran this way and that. I would find one trying to climb out of the bed and I would tuck it back in and that was all I did to them.
I really didn’t know.
I was curious, but I knew that I didn’t want to disturb the bed. I wanted them to have plenty of time to grow. I knew that you were supposed to let them grow all summer and then early fall you could check.

On Saturday, we had a little time to get outside and play in the dirt (aka, gardening). I decided while we were weeding some of the beds, I would check and see if I had any sweet potatoes.
I pulled up one of the vines only to see it was attached by a long slip. Nothing else.
WHAT?!?!
All this time and all these vines and nothing more than this?!?!
I was a bit distraught.
I reminded myself that it was not a waste. I would learn something from this lesson. Maybe I needed to make the bed deeper. Maybe they needed more room.
I kept clearing, I kept digging.
While I was digging out some of the weeds among the vines I felt…  something.

???

Something was in the bed!
Down deep!
I pushed the earth back, the beautiful black soil.
I see a tinge of dark pink.
As I reach in, I found it.
A prize!
A jewel… to me! 🙂
I grabbed it up. I jumped up off the ground and began dancing!
Hollaring to the family!
LOOK, LOOK!!!
Thank you, Jesus!!!!
We got one!

Of course by that time, I had several more hands eager to help me.
We all dug, we all danced.
I hear…
           LOOK MOMA! 
                        LOOK at this one!
What fun!

Sometimes, we have to look down deep to find the treasure. It’s not always something we can skim the surface and see.
Sometimes you have to put  more effort into something to see the value.
Sometimes you just have to dance, to laugh, to hollar in victory and smile.

Let your family see, make your husband laugh, make sure your children enjoy.
Work is hard, work is necessary.
Talk, smile, laugh and let your eyes shine. These moments are fleeting.
Love deeply. Work diligently. Never give up.
Give thanks openly and frequently.

All these things and more, the Lord brought to mind while I was in the Sweet Potato Patch.