Signs of Growth

Signs of Growth are all around right now – in the garden, in the kids.

In the garden

This is where we have spent much of our time lately, but the signs of growth are starting to show. Gardens take time. Time prepping the soil; time planting; time weeding. Last weekend, we had quite a bit of rain for here. The rain really brought out the plants, especially the corn. One day there wasn’t any sign of corn, the next we had green spears all over their patch of ground. Also, we’ve already been weeding and mulching our earlier planting of peas, beans and potatoes.

In the kids

This morning brought one of those signs of growth that come unexpectedly. The kind that makes you want to cry and shout for joy all at the same time. The kind that made both my daughter Addie and I grab for cameras. I was working on getting breakfast ready and caring for some odd projects, when I heard my son (11) reading to one of my twins (2). It may not sound like much on the surface, but it is a sign that I have long waited for. You see, this son struggles with dyslexia and so learning to read has been a long battle. A battle that isn’t over, yet. As a result, he hasn’t been one to pick up any book and just read it. When we began this school year, he was still struggling to sound out simple 3-letter short vowel words. This book was not hard, in fact it is mostly 3- and 4-letter short vowel words. The difference, he was reading smoothly and not sounding them out. So, as we are about to wrap up another school year, I can say progress in reading has been achieved. It may not be much compared to most kids, but for a kid who has now been trying to learn to read for 5 years, this is HUGE. More importantly, he voluntarily read a book and that is a much more important than being able to prove his progress.

Another sign of growth

And another sign of growth just because it is going on as I type this. My 16 year old running the tractor (with hand clutch), pulling the disc in a small fenced pasture with a tree and well head to miss.

What signs of growth are you finding, today?