Three Green Beans and Me

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July 2005 Ensign

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How could tending a garden teach me about God?

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As a young girl, I spent my summers with my grandma, and she spent her time in her garden. She didn’t have a nice, small garden like other grandmas. She had a “work-hard-and-eat-well” garden. We would get up before the hot California sun and spend hours weeding, watering, and eventually picking. The only thing that kept me going was that once in a while, a fresh breeze rejuvenated us.

My grandma talked a little and worked a lot. I followed her around the garden, but my mind was usually somewhere else. Gardening was for grandmas, I thought. But her smile told me she was pleased as she surveyed our work. She made me promise that I would follow the counsel of President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) and plant my own garden someday.

Sowing Seeds of Obedience

Eventually I had a family of my own, and I decided to plant a garden—admittedly not out of excitement but at least out of a desire to obey the prophet and to keep my promise to Grandma. As soon as I dug up a small area of ground, however, I realized I hadn’t paid very close attention in my youth. What had come so easily for Grandma now seemed impossible for me. Did I pick a good location? How should I arrange the rows? How close should I plant the seeds?

I tried to dismiss the need to plant a garden. “What’s the big deal, anyway? I can just buy this stuff from the store and save myself all of this work,” I thought. But I had made a promise. I called Grandma for reminders and tips, and I began to have a fresh remembrance of our summer days together in the garden. At first, nothing happened—all that work and nothing. But finally, after several weeks, a few plants struggled through the ground and began to grow.

Weeding Out Distraction

Then the kids got sick. Life got busy. The dog ate some of the young plants. Other things seemed more important, and I didn’t think much about my garden until my grandma came to visit. I cringed when she asked about it. The walk to the garden seemed long and terrible. When we went outside, I was completely embarrassed by what we both saw. The plants had withered down to nothing, and the weeds were choking out the vegetables. Grandma’s silence spoke volumes to me. With disappointment in her voice, all she could say was, “You have neglected your garden.”

I had neglected my garden—and my promise to her. I had not cared about my garden until she was there. I knew I had disappointed her. I thought of a thousand excuses, but none of them mattered. “It’s hopeless, Grandma. I’m hopeless!”

Cultivating Hope

She looked at my garden intently. She looked at me and then looked back at my garden. “No, it’s not hopeless,” she said with a comforting smile. “I think there is something in here worth saving.” Her eyes settled on a scrawny, pathetic-looking green bean bush. I don’t even like green beans very much, but that was the plant she thought would survive.

I would have given up, but Grandma doesn’t give up on anything or anyone. She knelt down beside the little plant and began to clear away the weeds. She instructed me about what I needed to do. This time I listened carefully. Grandma believed that this green bean bush had value. It was important that it lived. I began to care about it too. I did not want to disappoint her again.

It took days to bring that little plant back to life and weeks of nurturing and care to keep it going. I’ll never forget the day I picked three green beans from that bush—I was thrilled!

Learning about Gardening—and God

Now, many gardens later, I understand what my grandma told me after that experience: “You will understand more about God if you tend your garden.”

I wondered what she meant by that. But then I remembered back to a time in college when my life looked like my neglected garden. I was withering. My gospel roots were not very deep. In the garden of my life, weeds were growing everywhere because I had neglected scripture study and prayer and had let other things become more important. I went to church, but I didn’t really listen. I made some mistakes, and I knew I needed help.

The walk to the bishop’s office—like the walk to the garden with my grandma—seemed long and terrible. I was embarrassed by what my life had become. I felt I was hopeless.

My bishop listened. He looked at me intently. Finally, with a comforting smile, he said, in effect, “No, it’s not hopeless. I see something in you that is worth saving.”

I began to understand that the power of the Atonement could restore my withered life. I came to know that Heavenly Father doesn’t give up on anybody, and I determined to try my best to not disappoint Him.

Just like the revitalizing breeze I had felt in my grandmother’s garden, the repentance process restored me. Through the blessings of the Atonement, my withered hopes slowly came back to life. It was a blessing—a blessing just for me.

I now realize that I am responsible for my garden—the garden of my life. It takes daily effort to grow closer to the Lord, just as it takes daily effort to keep a garden. Repentance repairs our mistakes, and the Atonement allows us to keep trying. I have learned that the fruits of the Spirit cannot be purchased from a store; we have to grow them ourselves by following Him.

I have never forgotten how pleased I was to see those three green beans on that scraggly bush long ago. But more important than saving the plant, I came to understand that the Lord sees someone worth saving in me.

The Law of the Harvest

“If a seed can multiply thirty, sixty, or even a hundredfold, what then is my potential if I would but cast out the stones, clean out the thorns, cultivate deeply into the soil for a good seedbed, irrigate, and nourish? It is then that I realize there is no limit to my potential so long as I conform my life to the Lord’s law of the harvest. Let me encourage you to draw close to the soil. Have your own experience in planting a garden. Then make application in your own life of this great principle of the law of the harvest.” Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “The Law of the Harvest,” New Era, Oct. 1980, 4.

Happily Prepared Ever After

 Ensign July 1985

As a young girl I always envisioned that my life would unravel in fairy-tale fashion. I was confident that I would grow up talented and beautiful. Someday, I felt sure, my prince would come. He would sweep me off my feet, and we’d live happily ever after.

But, as I have watched the lives of friends and family members unfold, I have been forced to conclude that “happily ever after” is a goal few of us achieve. In fact, I have discovered that life was not even meant to be a happily ever after” existence without some mortal challenges. Young mothers are sometimes widowed; others are divorced. Husbands may become disabled. Couples struggle to have sufficient food and clothing for their children. Some women never marry. These realities do not mean that life is a grim enterprise. With so many opportunities available to us, we have every reason to be hopeful about the future. But it is preparation, not luck or circumstance, that helps us make “happily ever after” as much a reality as possible.

The challenges life presents demand our best preparation—in mind, body, and spirit. An important aspect of preparation that women cannot afford to neglect is career readiness. It would be desirable for every woman to have a marketable skill—one that can help her get a job that will provide for her needs and bring her as much satisfaction as possible.

A few compelling facts about Latter-day Saint women support this need:

Fact 1. Ten percent of LDS women who are between the ages of eighteen and thirty will be widowed before age sixty.

Fact 2. Thirty-five percent will be divorced before age sixty.

Fact 3. Three percent will never marry.

Fact 4. Forty-five percent will be the primary breadwinner in their homes before age sixty-five. (See Church News, 6 Nov. 1983, p. 4.)

Another Church survey released in 1980 “showed that thirty-four percent of LDS women work outside the home, and that fifty-seven percent did so to meet basic living expenses. Another thirty-five percent were working because they were widowed or divorced; seventeen percent said they needed involvement and self-expression outside the home; and eight percent said they were career women.” (Deseret News, 13 Feb. 1983.)

Other statistics indicate that nine out of ten women in the United States will work outside their homes at some point in their lives. (L. C. Chenowith and E. Maret, “The Career Patterns of Mature American Women,” Sociology of Work and Occupations, 1980, pp. 222–51.) Another study showed that an average twenty-year-old woman would spend 45 percent of her life in the labor market. (“Women at Work,” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2168, April 1983, p. 12.)

The message is clear. Are we prepared?

Of course, most of us could find some kind of employment. But we should prepare ourselves for work in which we will not only be happy, but which also will provide an adequate income. The sad truth is that 80 percent of working women are concentrated in low-wage jobs.

How to prepare adequately is a complex problem, but there are solutions.

Solution 1: Prevent Crises

We need to help each young woman prepare, as well as possible, for her highest career level. Our aim in doing so is not to detract from her important calling as wife and mother, but to enhance it—and to help her meet the future successfully if she needs to support herself and her family.

We must help our high school girls see that social experiences are not more important than scholastic achievement or career preparation. The years between age twelve and the day a young woman marries are her years to prepare. The choices she makes during these critical years will determine her quality of life for the rest of her life. The more productive her years of preparation, the more able and happy she will become.

Each young woman must know that, even if she never works outside the home, good preparation will give her a greater feeling of security and more skills with which to bless her family and community.

Solution 2: Plan Ahead

If you are not currently working, you may want to prepare for the day when you might need to. If you already have a marketable skill, it would be to your advantage to keep that skill polished and ready to use. You might also take an occasional class or read up on the latest in your field. It is wise to prepare now, even before you need to use your skills in the marketplace.

If you do not have a marketable skill you would enjoy using daily, plan now to obtain one. Assess your educational background. List your interests, aptitudes, and talents. Decide how you can obtain a marketable skill with the least amount of money, time, and stress. The secret is to begin.

As you consider alternatives, use your imagination. There are a number of educational opportunities, such as four-year college, two-year college, business college, skills centers, vocational schools, community schools, apprenticeship programs, on-the-job training, correspondence or independent study, and continuing education.

Prepare for a variety of possible situations: What would you do if it becomes necessary to work full-time? Do you have talents and skills you could use to earn either a part-time or full-time wage while at home? What home-based occupations might you consider?

Solution 3: Improve Job Skills

If you are now in a situation where you must work, do you find your job satisfying—financially, intellectually, and spiritually? Are there good opportunities for advancement? Do you have a career plan? How can you upgrade your occupational skills?

If you are unmarried, are you prepared to spend your entire life in the work force? Don’t fall into the trap of doing interim jobs to fill the time until marriage. Make a difference in the workaday world and in your community.

In most communities there are agencies that can help you improve skills you already have, or help you develop a new career path. Your bishop can counsel you and put you in contact with your ward or stake employment specialist.

Here are some case studies that show alternative ways to solve similar problems.

When Maurine, a thirty-year-old mother of three, was divorced, she could have found a clerical or light-industry job for immediate money. Instead, she returned to the university to complete her nursing degree. Although it took nearly three years living solely on alimony and child support, she now is happily employed at a hospital doing what she loves.

Karen, a thirty-seven-year-old mother of six, found that the demands of a big family were stretching their budget beyond its limits. As the bills began to pile up, the stress on the family increased. Wishing to remain at home while contributing to the family income, she obtained a business license and opened a beauty shop in her home.

Diane is a sales representative for a product sold at parties. She makes deliveries several times a week, but can handle all her other business transactions by phone. Her family hardly knows she is employed, but it is her added income that keeps the family solvent.

Liz, who taught kindergarten before she was married, missed being a teacher but didn’t want to leave her small children. She and her husband bought some used school equipment and set up a preschool in their basement. Seven years later, her preschool has such an excellent reputation that she has a long waiting list.

Margaret was unable to have children for the first five years of her marriage. While she waited and hoped for a family, she finished her undergraduate work at a nearby university, then obtained her master’s degree. Twelve years and six children later, Margaret was left alone with those six children. Fortunately, she was able to secure a teaching job at the university. She feels greatly blessed to have been prepared.

In our preparations, we need to be prayerful and wise. Surely, being with our children is worth more than having a career; no mother should unnecessarily seek a career that takes her out of the home. But we live in a world that demands that we be prepared. In the process, we can develop talents and facets of our personalities that will be a blessing to us and to our families. And, through careful preparation, we can live happy, enriched lives, whatever our circumstances might be.

Author: Marilynne Linford, mother of eight, serves as a Primary

Catching the Vision of Self-Reliance

 Ensign: May 1986

One night the phone rang at the home of Russell Hakes, who at the time was serving as stake president. “President Hakes,” came a man’s determined voice, “I refuse to store powdered milk! The Church wants me to store powdered milk, and I just won’t do it!”

President Hakes could hear the emotion in the man’s voice. He assured him that the Church did not expect him to store powdered milk if he didn’t want to. “You can choose any kind of storage for your year’s supply; it’s up to you,” he said, trying to calm his caller.

“Well, I’ll be hanged if I’ll store powdered milk!” the man huffed, slightly appeased. “I have six cows!”

Some may ask, “Why have a garden when we can buy produce inexpensively?” One of the important keys of home production and storage is the acquisition of skills. Sometimes we may be able to buy food inexpensively, but the skills and intuitive wisdom gained through gardening and other home production projects are worth more than the time and effort they require. In a sustained emergency, basic gardening, sewing, repair, construction, and production know-how are invaluable. Provident living helps us develop these skills—and build family unity by doing it—before an emergency.

“Life is made up of small daily acts,” said Sister Barbara B. Smith, former Relief Society general president. “Savings in food budgets come by pennies, not only by dollars. Clothing budgets are cut by mending stitch by stitch, seam by seam. Houses are kept in good repair nail by nail. Provident homes come not by decree or by broad brushstroke. Provident homes come from small acts performed well day after day. When we see in our minds the great vision, then we discipline ourselves by steady, small steps that make it happen.” (Ensign, Nov. 1980, p. 86.)

Catching the vision of self-reliance is an important part of our responsibility to live providently and help others in these last days. In this effort, the Lord is certainly our greatest resource. If we prayerfully invite his help and guidance—and act upon it—we will be prepared.

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Self-Reliance

Provident Living - A Way of Life

Ensign, August 1987         

Provident Living-  is not a new message.

Objective: To understand that living providently means taking care of our immediate needs and providing for the future.

 

As we strive to care for ourselves and our families, one of our greatest challenges is to find peace in the midst of an uncertain future. We may have the basic necessities of life today, but what about tomorrow? The prophets have urged us to live providently—in other words, to live in a way that will provide the necessities of life not only today, but tomorrow as well.

But living providently is more than just putting aside food for future need. It encompasses all areas of life. If we want to face the future with confidence and peace of mind, we must prepare ourselves in six areas: literacy and education, career development, financial and resource management, home production and storage, physical health, and social-emotional and spiritual strength. When we strive to prepare in these areas, we can enjoy peace of mind as we face the uncertainties of the future.

Sister Barbara W. Winder, general president of the Relief Society, says that “provident living includes the prudent, frugal use of one’s resources, making provision for the future as well as providing wisely for current needs.”

President Ezra Taft Benson has counseled members about our responsibility to be prepared: “Usually the Lord gives us the overall objectives to be accomplished and some guidelines to follow, but he expects us to work out most of the details and methods. [They] are usually developed through study and prayer and by living so that we can obtain and follow the promptings of the Spirit.” (See Conference Report, April 1965, p. 121.)

Are you prepared? Examine the six areas of provident living and plan for your own needs. Invite the Spirit of the Lord to help you creatively fulfill this stewardship. “Living providently today is the very best preparation for tomorrow, for a lifetime of tomorrows, whatever the challenges may be,” Sister Winder says. “The Lord has promised that ‘if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.’” (D&C 38:30.)

 

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Provident  Living

Grow a Garden- anywhere

 Click this link below for a 21 page booklet on container gardening from the Benson Institute at BYU-

Container Gardening

Gardening Links

Links to Gardening Websites

Guide to Family Finances By Elder Marvin J. Ashton (1915–1994) Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

 

1 Pay an honest tithing.

2 Learn to manage money before it manages you. 

3 Learn self-discipline and self-restraint in money matters.

4 Use a budget. 

5 Teach family members early the importance of working and earning.

6 Teach children to make money decisions in keeping with their capacities to comprehend.

7 Teach each family member to contribute to the total family welfare. 

8 Make education a continuing process. 

9 Work toward home ownership.

10 Appropriately involve yourself in an insurance program. 

11 Understand the influence of external forces on family finances and investments.

12 Appropriately involve yourself in a food storage and emergency preparedness program. 

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Family Finances