Feb
Avocado Anyone?
We have an avocado tree in our back yard. It is huge. It was already there when we bought our house 20 years ago. But, we rarely get any avocados! Year after year, no fruit! How can such a big tree produce little or no fruit?
I consulted with an avocado grower. I thought that maybe we needed a second tree for it to pollinate and produce fruit. But, the grower assured me that this was not necessary. One avocado tree alone can produce fruit.
Our biggest crop was the year we had the record rain. Remember when we had 30 – 35 inches of rain a few years ago? That year we had more avocados than I could count! Maybe there is a connection here? I’ve become a fan of more rain!
This has been another typical year. No fruit. Well, at least I thought there was no fruit. However, a few days ago, much to my surprise, a friend saw 3 or 4 small avocados hanging high up in the tree! The leaves had hidden them all season, but recently, as the old leaves have been falling off, we actually saw some fruit.
I quickly got out the ladder and picked these little green gems! We are waiting for them to ripen. I hope they taste as good as they look!
Isn’t it interesting that the fruit had been there all year. We just couldn’t see them. The leaves concealed the avocados high up in the tree. Maybe that is true in our daily lives. We don’t see some of the good things coming our way, because they are concealed from our view by so many distractions.
I am surprised at how my attitude has changed from disappointed and discouraged to hopeful and watchful. I assumed it was another year with no avocados. Now, I’m watching to see if there may be a few more avocados hiding up in the tree. And, I’m more hopeful that there will be even more fruit next year!
Funny how our attitude changes when we receive even a little encouragement. I hope you will keep an eye open for some small encouragements in your life this week. And, I hope you will provide some encouragement for others that you meet this week!
Avocado anyone?