by Linda O’Connell
My life is filled with contradictions as a result of living in suburbia, directly across the street from a five-acre truck farm. The sounds of traffic begin before sunrise as honking cars and trucks whiz down our busy four-lane street. The distinct putt-putt of a slow chugging tractor drowns out frenzied road sounds. Two bachelor brothers have farmed the land for decades, producing prime tomatoes and vegetables. One rides a rusted relic, the other sits astride a new John Deere, kings on their thrones waving to passers-by. The gentlemen farmers walking in a drizzle through muddy fields wearing slickers and boots, bend down and lift the 4’x8’ wooden lid off a sunken hot bed revealing their first crop. A lush spread of purple, crimson, and yellow pansies nod in the mist. Enthralled with the floral crazy quilt, I am transported back to my eighth Easter when my Sunday School teacher placed a potted pansy in my hands. She also planted the seeds of scripture that took root and bloomed in my heart: “Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you.”
Linda O’Connell, a seasoned teacher and inspirational writer, has been published in over two hundred publications. She writes from the heart and listens for God’s messages everywhere: in the wind, at the seashore, outdoors in nature, and especially in the innocence of her three, young, great-grandsons. She believes God is with her in her darkest hours and on her brightest days… ALWAYS.