The Last Tomatoes of the Summer

This last weekend I pulled dead leaves from the two tomato plants that are in our backyard. All summer long, these two plants supplied our household with sweet and juicy fruit. We enjoyed salads and fresh pasta dishes, and shared vine ripened tomatoes with our neighbors. But the plants are dying; only a couple of tomatoes remain, and once I’ve picked them, the plants will have given me the last of their gifts. Although it isn’t always easy to discern the change of seasons in Southern California, the tomato plants tell me that autumn has arrived.

I enjoy the change – cooler mornings and evenings, shorter days, leaves turning to gold, then brown, and then falling from their trees. Before long, we’ll be pulling jackets out of the closet, with full knowledge that a few short months from now, we’ll be putting them away again, as the days once again will grow longer.

The rhythm of the year comforts me. It helps me to mark time, to remember important events; it enables me to anticipate what comes next. It also reminds me that our lives are full of sweet and juicy gifts – in the form of tomatoes as well as in the form of friends and family, church and work, play and home and children. Let us cherish each and every day for what it is – a gift – and take advantage of every opportunity to express our gratitude. To whom, and in what ways, can you say “thank you” today?