Let Your Garden Grow

I want to tell you about a book that I recently read called "Guarded Secrets" written by Leann Harris. This is a Love Inspired Suspense put out by Steeple Hill publishing company. I would like to start by reading the back cover.

At the time, Lilly Burkstrom brushed aside her ex husband's words. Then he dies -- "accidentally" -- in a convenience store robbery, and she starts to wonder. Turning to the police doesn't help. They don't see the binder closing in on her, not even when someone breaks into her house and her ex-husband's apartment. Only Detective Jonathan Littledeer understands her fears, having lost his own family. He is determined to keep the single mom safe. He's not going to let another "accident" claim Lilly or her daughter before he can bring the killers guarded secrets to light.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it highly. Lily who is a single mother has been working at her church for the past several years. The new Minister had decided to try to get the community involved, so he chose growing a community garden as the project. One of Lilly's jobs was to organize the harvesting of the garden and the delivery of the vegetables to those in the neighborhood that needed them. This brought the community closer together and was one of her pride and joys. She loved working in the garden and seeing others enjoy it also.

It was not but a few days after I finished reading the book and was sitting in the doctors office reading a People Magazine when I came across an article about a young lady, 11 years old, who started a project very similar to this. I was so excited to stumble across this article and see the relationship of how this could really work in reality. I am going to attach the article. I hope you enjoy the article and it prompts you to check into the book. You can go to Leann's website at www.leannharris.com .

· October 26, 2009

· Vol. 72

· No. 17

A Young Gardener Feeds the Poor

By Diane Herbst/Summerville

· Summerville, S.C.

Last year Katie Stagliano planted a cabbage seedling in her family's backyard. After it grew to an astonishing 40 lbs., Katie donated it to a homeless shelter. Two days later she returned to help serve some of the 275 meals (rounded out by ham and rice) made with her massive crucifer. "I've never felt so good in my life," says Katie, now a fifth grader. "I thought, 'Wow, with one cabbage I helped feed that many people? I could do much more.'"

So she started other gardens—in her subdivision, on donated land outside of town and on a field at her school. She then enlisted volunteers, from gardeners to her classmates, and a plant company donated seedlings. This year Katie and her crew have supplied soup kitchens with over 1,000 lbs. of squash, okra, cabbage and other crops. With the fall harvest, she'll add another 4,000 lbs. "We are amazed, thrilled," says Charlotte Carroll, 57, executive director of Palmetto House, a homeless shelter that gets twice-weekly deliveries from Katie. "It's easy to have a canned food drive, but it's unique a child would grow her own vegetables." Says Elois Mackey, 48, who lives at Palmetto with her two kids: "She shows that children can play a big part in helping people. The vegetables she brought were delicious."

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