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{"id":1790,"date":"2013-07-12T11:48:56","date_gmt":"2013-07-12T11:48:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/prayergardens\/?p=1790"},"modified":"2014-12-24T18:52:21","modified_gmt":"2014-12-24T18:52:21","slug":"lumen-fidei-tomato-red-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/prayergardens\/2013\/07\/lumen-fidei-tomato-red-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Lumen Fidei and a Tomato-red Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"\"$ <\/a>My grandmother passed away over a decade ago, but she gave me a bit of a nudge last Friday.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d been doing small bursts of gardening over ten days and over did it. The doctor said ice, meds, and bed rest\u2026I ended up being flat-out for four days.<\/p>\n

I felt perkier by Friday. Mid-morning I moseyed out the back door to look at my single \u2018Champion\u2019 tomato plant. I laugh at myself and my one good plant\u2026I fuss so over it! When I had grown dozens of tomatoes I would plant them deep, stab the earth with supports, spread newspaper and straw, and periodically remember to tie the vines\u2014watering was optional.<\/p>\n

That morning, to my surprise, at the base of the plant was a single fully ripe perfectly formed 10 oz. glowing-red tomato. Without forethought I exclaimed, \u201cWell now, Grandma, will you look at that!\u201d Goose-bumps tickled my arms at the thought of her and I smiled at the memories of her company. She had loved tomatoes, and she too usually grew only one or two plants. Many a summer dinner we shared was nothing more than a plate of sliced tomatoes\u2014with a side of three-bean salad for protein.<\/p>\n

Plucking the tomato, I realized I had no one with whom to share my gift\u2026at least not around the table. I got my camera and posted the image. Several others on-line savored the joy.<\/p>\n

My back had not healed enough to allow much time at the computer. I needed a walk, and not on hot country roads, so headed for a local shopping center. I required a few personal items for a conference next month, and the Fourth-of-July sales were in full swing. With list in hand, and budget in mind, I set out at a clip through the air-conditioned mall. Shopping didn\u2019t take long and I headed back to the car through JC Penny, past the jewelry counter\u2026usually a safe route for me to take. Not this time.<\/p>\n

Hanging from the top hook of a wire clearance stand was the gaudiest red floral necklace I had ever seen. My grandmother would have loved it! I must have said something out loud because the woman at the side counter suddenly looked up at me. Giving her a quick embarrassed glance I moved in closer to the stand.<\/p>\n

Memories flowed as I lifted the red and coral 1930\u2019s style necklace off the hook. I could almost hear my grandmother\u2019s voice and her delight. It looked like the jewelry I would play dress-up with when I was a child. The shiny molded plastic roses were the color of the \u2018Tropicana\u2019 rose that grew in a protected corner of her yard. I smiled and felt as if she, for the second time that day, was near.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not an impulsive shopper, my budget matters. I would never wear that necklace anywhere, ever. Logic aside, I bought it anyway, it made me smile; it helped me recall a deep memory of love, one that went beyond her or me.<\/p>\n

In Pope Francis\u2019 encyclical, Lumen Fidei, he writes about truth and deep memory, how it \u201c\u2026deals with something prior to $\"\"$ <\/a>ourselves\u2026\u201d And that \u201cprior\u201d is love and the truth of being loved by God\u2014and grandmothers.<\/p>\n

That gaudy tomato-red necklace hanging from the dressing-table mirror brings delight to my little-girl heart, and brings to my day an unforgettable love that existed even before I was aware that it could.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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