Harvest time is a special time. The seeds and plants that were started in the spring and grew throughout the summer mature to yield their bounty for a long cold winter’s sustenance. Here in Northwest Ohio our specialties are corn and soybeans. The tiny seeds formed eager shoots to rise through the rich soil. The shoots climbed skyward as their roots plunged deeper and wider. The corn began to tassel and the ears were forming while the soybean pods proliferated on the shorter plant. Growing a plant to maturity is a complex process that must take into account the quality of the soil, the nutrients available for the seed, warmth and coolness, moisture and seed depth, and planting dates plus weather factors. Not every year is a bumper year, and not every year is a wasted year, but the wonder and the magic is that over the years, the result is favorable and the people are fed.
An idea or a concept has a similar cycle. When the seed has been planted, the work to encourage its maturity has just begun. It must be placed in fertile soil and nourished so that it may thrive. The elements and environment must be reasonably predictable for the idea to reach maturity otherwise it may drown or wither if the conditions are unfavorable. Once the seed has sprouted by attracting advocates, the feeding of the idea must persistent to keep the concept alive. The more it grows the more branches and leaves it develops. Each leaf, each extension increases its chance for survival and maturity because the individual additions become nourishment centers of their own while feeding the base or the root. The growing plant shoots more seed as it matures and pollinates others in its vicinity. As the plants begin to ripen, the entire field is loaded with fruit and waiting for the harvest.
The roots grow deeper and the plants grow taller. The fruit continues to develop and mature. The plants withstand some severe storms and shortage of rain, but the deep-thrusting roots hold fast against the wind and find moisture for the plant. When the harvest begins, some of the seeds are jostled to the ground as the combine or corn sheller passes by. The stalks are bent and stripped of their bounty, but the roots remain firmly in the ground where they are joined by the newly harvested seeds that escaped the massive machine. As the rains fall and the sun shines, the randomly fallen seeds voluntarily begin to sprout and initiate the cycle once again. The day of harvest is the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November.
Let’s hope the yield is great and the produce is unblemished. The plants will grow under ideal conditions. The most outstanding crop flourishes under stress. The farmer who directs the planting will judge the results by the fruit that is produced. May your growing season be perfect, and may you harvest a bumper crop. May the country, state and community benefit from your efforts. Plant, sprout, grow, reach, flourish and yield.
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