It takes a lot of work to grow watermelons. Even though they are my favorite fruit, until this summer, I’ve never tried to grow my own. Well, I’ve still never tried to grow my own—growing watermelons was Madison’s project. And unlike the Shake and Bake commercials from the 1970s I can’t even say, “And I helped!” because all I did was watch.
The first step in the Great Watermelon Experiment of 2020 was to prepare the soil. Using a hula hoop, Madison dug the grass from 8 perfect circles of hard ground. Next, she scooped out some of the soil, mixed it with enriched garden soil, and made little volcano-like mounds with a moat around them. A tiny watermelon plant was placed in the center of each mound. Every day Madison would water the little plant, check for growth, watch for pests, and pull unwanted weeds threatening to steal the nutrients from the watermelon seedling. Eventually, the plants began to vine and little blossoms appeared. Once the blossoms turned into tiny watermelons, Madison carefully placed straw under each melon so they wouldn’t rest in the dirt. One morning, when the melons were a little larger than a fist, we discovered a critter living in our woods had been just as excited as we were about the watermelons. Every single melon had been broken open and the sweet fruit had been eaten. Every single one. Madison eventually pulled up the watermelon vines, raked up the straw and smoothed out the mounds. It was a whole lot of sowing for no reaping.
The Bible has a lot to say about sowing and reaping. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Galatians 6:7 When Madison planted watermelons, she expected watermelons, not onions, to grow. If we sow good things—kindness, love, peace, gentleness—we can expect to reap those things as well. However, the reverse is also true, “Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.” Proverbs 22:8 We can’t plant bitterweeds and expect a harvest of sweet watermelons! All of our actions—the good and the bad—have natural consequences.
By far my favorite verse about sowing and reaping is found in Psalm 126. This is one of the Psalms that is called “A Song of Ascents” meaning it was one that was sung by Hebrew pilgrims on their way to the temple. “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.” Psalm 126:5-6. In the commentary section of my Bible for these verses it says: “Our tears can be seeds that will grow into a harvest of joy because God is able to bring good out of tragedy. When burdened by sorrow, know that your times of grief will end and that you will again find joy. We must be patient as we wait. God’s great harvest of joy is coming!”
That’s another thing about sowing. It takes time. Watermelons don’t appear overnight ready to harvest. At this point in my cancer journey, I am still sowing. The doctors are preparing the soil with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, followed by surgery and radiation. This sowing continues to be done with many tears. I am looking forward to the day I reap complete healing, when cancer has been defeated. I can guarantee that will be a day of much joy, much singing, much dancing, and much praising the God who made it possible.
My immunotherapy/chemotherapy treatment this past Friday marked the beginning of the last cycle of treatment prior to surgery. I will have two more chemotherapy infusions—one July 31 and the last August 7; immunotherapy will resume after my surgery. I met with the surgeon this past week and I will have a mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy on August 31. Hopefully, the pathology report will show there is no evidence of disease and the therapies have brought a “complete pathological response.” My surgeon feels it is more likely than not that I will need radiation after surgery based on the size of my tumor and the fact that I had “multicentric” disease (four separate and distinct tumors). My prayer is that radiation will not be necessary, but I will do whatever it takes to ensure I have as many years as I can to reap the benefits of a healthy, cancer free life.
T.S.CONLAY 