The early frost had killed much of the garden. Plants and weeds lay wilted and brown on the soil. Judith diligently pulled up the dead stalks and vines and placed them in the red wheelbarrow. The low fall sun slipped beneath the trees, casting cold shadows on her and the land. She slowly got up off her knees and with one hand, felt the scar on her chest. She then rubbed her bald head. “Sorry plants. I really empathize. Cancer and chemo have been as hard on my body as the frost was on you.”
Pain shot through her ribs. Her cancer’s demonic tentacles had spread and the doctors were attacking it much more aggressively now. She took a deep breath, felt the cool air enter her lungs and savored the moment. And then she exhaled. This was a “good day” and she intended to make the most of it.
A flock of Geese headed South, announcing their presence with loud honks. A cool wind blew in from the North. The breeze was strong today. She grinned. If she had hair she’d be complaining about it being a “bad hair day.” “See? There is a silver lining to breast cancer,” she thought.
Fatigued, she walked over to the bench and plopped down. The chemotherapy and radiation had completely drained her of energy. So now it was time to rest. She opened up her bottle of water, took a swig and then removed a black leather journal out of her backpack. She began to jot down a few notes and drew a couple of diagrams. Next year’s garden was already being planned and would be amazing. And yes, she was determined that there would be a next year. She’d be there to reap its harvest.
Like the Morning Glory vines covering the garden’s archway, her mind began to wander. It ended up at the Parable Talents, her absolute favorite passage in the Bible. She thought of the master giving his three servants Talents to watch over in his absence. The first had 10, invested them wisely and was given more. Then the second had five, and did the same exact thing. But the last one had one and was fearful of losing it. He buried it, causing the Master to explode in rage when he returned. Judith had always believed that the parable meant that God wanted her to use the talent she had been given.
And she had.
She had built a very successful career based on her ability to garden. She was an published writer and a gifted speaker. And she had built a business based on people’s love of growing plants. And her Master had given her many more talents to tend to as a reward. The sky was the limit.
Until the day she felt the lump.
Cancer had changed so many things. Facing your mortality usually does. But the one thing that had really changed was how she saw time.
She realized that the greatest Talent her Master had given her was time. Had she invested it wisely? How much had she wasted in the past? The Parable of the Talents had a different meaning to her now. In Biblical times, a Talent was money. And one of the most powerful metaphors our civilization clings to is “Time is Money.” We save time. We invest time. We spend time. So now, she saw the Talent as a gift of time. A gift from her Master that must be spent wisely. From now on, she vowed to make the most of what time she was given. And pray to be rewarded with more.
Judith stood up. She needed to spend a few more minutes of her precious gift of time working in her garden before the sun set. And next year when the garden exploded in color, she knew her Master would be pleased with how she had invested her Talent.