7 Kids & a Peach Tree

Celebrating 16 Years of Marriage, Growing Peaches, & Starting St. Basil's Garden

Dear Friends,

Today, I am celebrating 16 years of marriage with my wife! God has truly blessed our family, and I am so thankful for her presence in my life as my wife but even more so as a mother to our children. We are also thankful that God has provided a 12 passenger van for our family now that we are expecting our 7th child in late September! Yes, you read that correctly. Having a big family has its great joys and struggles, but most importantly, it is an opportunity to be humbled and matured by God. I recall early in our marriage that I never wanted a mini-van (maybe a cool Jeep!), because I was too prideful to drive one. As the children came, God provided a mini-van and then eventually, a second mini-van. I thought my pride had finally died until I saw a large family drive into our church parking lot with a 12 passenger van. Deep inside me, I said, “Lord, I never want to drive one of those!” Apparently, my pride had not died yet. Once we found out the news of our 7th child, we rejoiced, but I remember praying, “Okay God, please kill the last of my pride. You know that I do not have the funds to buy a reliable 12 passenger van. If you provide it, I will drive it with great joy.”

As I looked online, prices were 3x as much as we could afford. I was getting nervous. Eventually, we saw on Facebook that we had good friends who just happened to be selling their van in our area! The van wasn’t free and did stretch our finances a bit, but we could have easily paid thousands more elsewhere. God worked out the details, and we have been blessed by their friendship and generosity.

Starting St. Basil’s Garden and Growing Peaches

“I want creation to penetrate you with so much admiration that wherever you go, the least plant may bring you the clear remembrance of the Creator….Scripture depicts to us the Supreme Artist, praising each one of His works; soon when His work is complete He will accord praise to the whole together….A single plant, a blade of grass or one speck of dust is sufficient to occupy all your intelligence in beholding the art with which it has been made.” -St. Basil the Great¹

As many of you know, I have been an avid gardener for many years now. The kids are growing watermelons, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, strawberries, blackberries, and one of my personal favorites, okra! (Slice some baby okra in the skillet sprinkled with panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese with a fresh slice of tomato and two eggs over easy, and I am a happy man!) However, our gardens have always been incomplete, because I’ve always wanted a peach tree. (There is nothing that compares to a good summer peach!)

For 7 years, I’ve want to place one in our backyard, but for various reasons, one never made it back there. After our son had a little surgery on Monday, we waited at Meijer pharmacy to pick up his medication, and I finally saw them… rows and rows of peach trees half off (so I bought two!).

For me gardening is a very hobbit-like thing to do and more importantly, a very Christian thing to do. It is a place to pray to our Creator while getting our hands dirty in His Creation. It is a place to grow food and show our children how we are more connected to the land than to the world of screens. It is also a good way to connect the liturgical life and the worship calendar with how you feast (or fast).

For example, basil is considered to be the ‘king of herbs’ (and my favorite one), and it is used throughout the year for various feast days. Basil is used to cover the floors of the church on Pascha (Easter), and it is used for The Elevation of the Holy Cross (September 14th), because St. Helena found the true cross under a basil bush.

So we are hoping to create a little basil herb garden with an icon of St. Basil (a small shrine) who is also one of my favorite saints and church fathers. Recall my last article on how St. Basil started the world’s first hospital!

Orthodox Christianity ultimately reminds us that Christ came to heal us and to heal all of Creation (read Romans chapter 8). Now that He has come into our world, everything is ultimately oriented towards Him. If we fashion our homes and gardens only in the latest design trends, then we are sadly only making them into our own image. However, if we make our homes look more like places of worship (monasteries, shrines, and historic churches), then they will have an atmosphere of prayer, a sense of the eternal, and lead our children to the One who holds all things together in the palm of his hands.

Lastly, if you want to support the mission of Barrel Aged Faith, then prayerfully consider becoming a paid subscriber ($5 a month or become a founding member). Your subscription ultimately helps share Christ with the world and to promote a healthy vision of orthodox Christianity where there is so much confusion, darkness, and despair. Although many are feeling lost these days, there is much to be hopeful about, because Christ has come and is coming to make all things new!

Be entirely His,
Kyle

1. Hexaemeron, Homily V.2-3, “The Germination of the Earth.” In Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Edition Vol. VIII, p. 77. Eds. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. Erdmans, 1989.