Fried Green Tomatoes

"We grow because we struggle, we learn and overcome." - R.C. Allen

I remember when I was a boy, we always had a garden in the backyard. I remember one year my dad decided we'd have tomatoes. That's because the year before we planted zucchini. Anyone knows that you don't need to plant 10 mounds of zucchini. We ended up with so much zucchini that we had it just about every meal. Fried zucchini, baked, zucchini, boiled zucchini, zucchini bread and so on. So anyway, we planted tomatoes, and of course my brother and I were assigned the task of weeding the garden periodically. One day we were all out working on the garden, and my mom began to remove a large dirt clod that seemed to be crushing a new tomato sprout. Immediately my dad told her not to remove it. He said it was the obstacles that make the plant strong enough to endure to maturity.

As I was thinking about this event, I started thinking it was a great metaphor for life. In life, there are obstacles that seem to be hindering our growth. Yet it is those very obstacles, that give us what we need to grow. Personally, I'd prefer not having to deal with the obstacles, and that is probably why I have been "developmentally disabled" in some areas of my life. I know that I've been accused in the past of trying to skirt the issues, or taking shortcuts. So here I am in a season of my life like none before. There are no shortcuts. There is no avoiding the issues. I must meet the challenge head on and become stronger as a result. This is not a fun process. It is agonizing; gut-wrenching; mentally and emotionally exhausting. I must go through this, but I don't have to go through it alone. That is why we have our friends and family. We need each other for support.

I have found some new friends at the church I started attending recently. Their friendship is genuine. Their concern is authentic. They take the time to call and check on me. They help me when I need help. So to my new friends at Gateway in Benicia, thank you. But I digress.

Someone once said if life gives you lemons you make lemonade. But what about tomatoes? Tomato sauce? Tomato ketchup? Tomato paste? I guess the principle is the same. Personally, I prefer fried green tomatoes....yummy.