The first gardening catalog of the season arrived the other day. Each page promises the most beautiful flowers and most luscious produce if only I order their seeds.
Seeds offer the promise of something good.
I made me think of the seeds of love cast by a mother in prayer for her family.
This year we will celebrate a milestone birthday for our mom. I toss down the gardening catalog and turn to my knitting, an 
afghan of row upon row of seed stitches that represent her countless words of love and prayer over the years.
I thank God for the seeds of prayer and words of encouragement and love that she sows for us.
The afghan is in bands of blue. Some of the bands are medium blues, like most of our days. They stand the test of time, constant and calming.
Other bands will be white, like the her many words of praise and love on the bright days of our lives.
A few bands will be variegated, words and prayers sewn during times of struggle and turmoil. They remind us to turn to those who love us, including God our Father.
I take a break from my knitting and turn back to the gardening catalog.
I pray that I, too, will sow the same seeds of love and prayer in my family.
