In Due Season

Dear Reader-


While grocery shopping a couple of weeks ago, I decided to buy a watermelon.
I know...watermelon in March???

My Sunshine Daughter has been regularly asking for watermelon all through the cold Winter months; fruit is her absolute favorite!!! :)

So, with her in mind, I decided to purchase a small, decent-priced watermelon (seedless, of course) as a special treat for her. I knew she'd be thrilled!!!

And thrilled she was!

As soon as I walked in the house, she surveyed the grocery items exclaiming, "Mmmm! Watermelon! Mommy, Can you cut up the watermelon?"
This girl wastes no time when it comes to eating fruit.
I replied, "No, it's dinner time. Let's make some "real" food for dinner."

Watermelon is great, but it won't last long in those little tummies.
Dinner time is time for substance!!!

Well, days went by while Sunshine Daughter persistently asked about eating the melon. When I finally told her it was time to cut the melon, she was ecstatic! Ooohs and Aaahs galore!!!

I could hear her lips smacking as I attempted to shove my large, dull knife into the hard rind. (Sharpening knives is something I've been meaning to do for a while now...a LONG while!)

Anyway, as I began to cut I noticed this melon was slightly less than perfect. I have high expectations for my fruit, wanting only succulent, juicy, not-under ripe, not-too ripe bites.

Fortunately, my children have virtually no expectations for food. They willingly eat anything that tastes sweet. As Sunshine Daughter hovered over my shoulder kneeling on a bar stool, she beamed with excitement. I, on the other hand, was pretty disappointed. I could see that this watermelon was not quite perfect. Unlike the gushingly fuchsia melons we eat in July, this early Spring melon was kinda pink with too many patches of white. I wasn't totally disheartened, for I knew sure enough that my children would gobble the melon up.

I dished Sunshine Daughter a bowl and she heartily thanked me. Within minutes she was asking for more. I agreed, and refilled her juicy bowl. I'm glad I did not have to eat this melon!

After all, it didn't look right, smell right, or taste just right. I like food when it's in season; at it's peak! Food always is better when eaten at just the right time. For my Sunshine Daughter, she has not yet learned to distinguish between "in season" and "out of season". To her, watermelon is watermelon and is the same no matter what. She does not yet know that, with a little patience (in this case a lot of patience- it's only March!), her favorite fruit would taste sooo much better and be an all-round more savory and satisfying culinary experience.

I, on the other hand, know how to wait; to wait until those summer melons slice like butter, spilling their sweet fuchsia-colored juice all over my cutting board.

This time, as I sliced (on only a slightly-saturated board) I thought about how many times we want to rush seasons. We like to zoom right through the season we are experiencing in life, in preference for what lies ahead. Every so often, I like to wish that I was currently experiencing a different season; perhaps one filled with hours of sleep, Bible study, prayer, time to do things I enjoy, long conversations with Super Hubby, etc. But for now, my life is full of endless diaper changes, seas of laundry spilling into several rooms, crumb-covered floors, constant sippy-filling, frequent storytimes, lots of hugs and kisses, and numerous daily opportunities to train and discipline. This is the season I am in.

I would like to whole-heartedly embrace it 100% of the time. But, in my thoughts and dreams, I sometimes wish a different day were here. I have been reminded many times, "Don't blink! It goes so fast!" I realize this, and I do aim to enjoy all these precious moments. I LOVE having young children. Not just a little bit... a LOT! I LOVE little children! I will be sad to see them grow older and eventually leave this home.

So, for now, I refresh myself with:

Ecclesiastes 3:1: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven"

And, like not-quite ripe fruit sitting just a bit longer, I will wait; wait for when the time is right and I find myself in another season. For now, I'll continue to ripen, so that when the time is right I will burst forth with sweet juices!!! Who knows? I may even leak a bit of juice in the meantime!

Celebrating the season I'm in,

Sarah Diederich