a gift from the earth

I ate the first tomato that came off our tomato plants in the backyard.

What a gift to the senses!

It looked all bumpy -- in fact it actually looked ugly, not at all pretty to look at, not like the ones we see in the supermarket. But of course I've seen these "slightly imperfect" looking vegetables at local farmers' market.

M sliced it for me, and sprinkled a bit of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. It smelled like the afternoon sun, and it tasted like sunshine.

Mmmmm. Joy. Delight.

It is a gift from the earth, gift of agricultural history, gift of love, gift of nature, and it is a gift of God.