I am yet to have any children of my own, but I have often been joined by my younger siblings or nieces and nephews in the garden. My sweet five-year-old next door neighbor planted peas with me a few weeks back. Last week, my four year old friend Annie and I went for a walk. Being the gardening geek that I am, I set out to teach Annie a few new flowers. I pointed them out each time we saw tulips, daffodils, hyacinth or forsythia. I would quiz her and she would try to beat me in pointing then out when she saw them. She stood there triumphant pointing here and there yelling “daffodil, daffodil, tulip, forsythia.” At one point she turned towards me and exclaimed “This is fun!” I brimmed with joy at the thought that I was perhaps cultivating a new little gardener.

Today at church she came running up to me and said, “Look my dress has tulips!” “She’s been wanting to tell you since yesterday” her mom inserted.

-Yup, she’s a goner- another gardener-to-be!