Ripe for the Picking
Beauty found in bags stuffed with blueberries and vases filled with flowers
Welcome to Walk & Talk, my monthly offering to share stories, inspiration, and hope. I’m Kim Knowle-Zeller, mama, pastor, and writer. I’ve lived in West Africa and one summer hiked 500 miles across Spain, and now I call Cole Camp, MO home with my husband, two children, dog, and cat. I love to walk, talk, and share stories. Thanks for being here!
Swim towels hang in piles on top of our shower curtain. The bathing suits, too, are drying after hours at the pool. Snack time consists of fresh picked blueberries and cucumbers from the garden. We never leave the house without sunscreen. Free moments find us in the yard playing catch. We meet friends at the park for hide and seek and soccer. Late nights have been spent at the ball field. Figuring out three meals a day is getting old.
We’re in full summer swing over here.
This time of the summer always includes trips to the blueberry field. I remember picking with my babies in strollers and then in a carrier on my back. Now at ages 10 and 7 they are able to carry their own buckets and help pick the berries (at least the ones that don’t end up in their mouths!) The blueberries feel like tiny miracles to me every time and there’s so much goodness to be had in that first taste of a fresh-picked berry.
This year the blueberry field also included a section of U-pick flowers with zinnias and sunflowers dotting the farm in reds, yellows, oranges, and pinks. We went with our friends and I let the kids cut their own stems. Carefully they peer down in front of the flowers marveling at their intricate designs and finding that perfect one.
A few days after picking flowers the kids and I are making a card for one of our friends, Millie. When I am ready to seal the card, I grab some flower stickers and ask Isaac which one to use. Taking his time, he scans the stickers carefully considering which one to give to his friend.
“When we were picking flowers, Millie liked the red and orange ones; so let’s use this sticker with the red flower. She’ll like it.”
I peel the red flower and place it on the envelope hoping that our friend will know she was noticed.
It’s not always the grand adventures we have with our kids that make the lasting memories. Sometimes it’s in the ways we model how to notice and care for others. Sometimes it’s seeing beauty before us in bags stuffed with blueberries and vases filled with flowers.
This month may you be the person who notices — the way the sun changes color at dusk and how the hummingbirds dance together in your petunias. May you notice the way your child’s eyes light up over sharing ice cream and a game of UNO. May you celebrate victories on the ball field and also reminders of how to lose gracefully. May you marvel at the shades of green leaves and linger over a good book.
May you notice the neighbor who has sadness in their steps and offer them a “Hello, how are you?” and take time to listen. May you remember your friends’ favorite coffee order and sweet treat and leave a note for them with it on their doorstep. May you remember birthdays and anniversaries and send notes of love.
May you simply remember that right now is a gift and summer beauty is ripe for the picking.
What I’ve Read
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett was the perfect book to bring on our Michigan vacation since the book takes place along Lake Michigan. Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint. Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born.
The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez was a fascinating book set during the building of the Panama Canal and shares stories of the people affected.
The Love Haters by Katherine Center. I just adore Katherine Center. Her books make the perfect summer read. She reminds us that hope and love can carry us through our days.
The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams was such a needed breath of fresh air. Two feuding neighbors unite to resurrect a neglected city garden in this uplifting and quietly joyful novel.
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. I flew through this book in two days! From the cover: A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.
Middle Grade books written in verse: Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt and Call Me Adnan by
.Thanks for reading, friend. With so much vying for our attention these days, I’m grateful that you have taken the time to read my words. May these words meet you and inspire you to see the beauty before you. If you know someone who would appreciate my words, please share this with them. It’s free and easy and one of the best ways to support my writing!
With gratitude,
Kim
You know I love this so, so much. Beautiful words, friend.
Thank you for this excellent reminder of the importance of noticing, Kim!