God's Mountain Garden

From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories of Faith

By Bertha M. Sutliff

The best place to seek God is in a garden.
~George Bernard Shaw

I grew up on a farm in the mountains of northwest Arkansas. As children, my brother and I roamed every inch of the little mountain facing my parents' house. We knew where every giant boulder and animal burrow was on that little piece of mountain bordering my dad's farm.

One day, my grandpa came to visit from his home several miles away. We sat on the front porch swing looking at the mountain, and he began to tell me a story. It was a delightful tale about him and me living in a little cabin on the mountain.

"Can you see it?" he asked. "It's right there by that big acorn tree. See it?"

Of course I saw it. What eight-year-old child wouldn't see what her imagination wanted her to see?

"We're gonna live in that cabin. We'll catch a wild cow for our milk and pick wild strawberries for our supper," Grandpa continued. "I bet the squirrels will bring us nuts to eat. We'll search the bushes for wild chickens and turkeys. The chickens will give us eggs, and we'll cook us a turkey over the big ol' fireplace. Yep, we'll do that some day."

From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories of Faith