Sweet Surprises

Last year when we moved, we bought a tomato plant. One of those that grows the sweet, little yellow treats that taste like candy – the kind our friend Mary Ann grows in her yard every year. Whenever we went to swim in her pool, we’d snatch a few tomatoes on our way out. After we settled in last summer, we planted ours right by the back door, and it grew like crazy, producing wonderful fruit!

This year, though, we didn’t get a new tomato plant. We focused on our grapes and strawberries and fruit trees. But, after being gone all week for the Southern Baptist Convention, we came home to discover this growing in the spot where our tomato plant was last year.

I was about to pull it, thinking it to be yet another of our vastly abundant weeds. But, something stopped me. The leaves looked familiar. The smell was familiar.

Apparently, one – or more – of the little tomatoes that fell from the plant before we had a chance to pick it ended up releasing its seeds into the ground. And now, we have a tomato plant.

I love God’s sweet surprises. It’s not where I would have planted another tomato plant, because we discovered last year that it was not a great spot. But, that’s where God planted it! So, although our crop may be late (Mary Ann is already pulling in the first of her bountiful harvest!) and the spot may not be our preference, we’ll still have our candy tomatoes. Yes, God’s surprises are sweet indeed.