These are my beloved pepper seeds. They represent more than just the possibility of having salsa at the end of this growing season. For a couple of weeks now, I have kept them in paper towels and each day, made sure they had adequate moisture. In response, they sprouted roots. This weekend, we put 30 seeds in soil, hoping to have thriving vines to transplant into our garden once any threat of cold weather is gone.

These seeds represent a sort of emotional connection I feel to being “back home.” I’ve put down roots, and continue to feed that relationship with a community and family that have given so much to me. The people around me gave me a firm foundation – the beginning of a good root system – and continued to feed and sustain me over the years, no matter how many miles were between us.

Planting a garden this year represents the fact that I’m staying here for good, and oh it feels wonderful to take root where I belong.

I know. They’re just seeds.

Until we walk again …