By WALLY AMOS
Be
Positive
I’ve become known for my association with
watermelon; watermelon hat, watermelon shoes. People are always asking, why?
Well here’s why.
“As the umbilical cord ushers a
mother’s blood filled with nutrients into her child, so the watermelon vine
carries the nurturing life force of the earth into a tiny flower that becomes
the heavenly object known as watermelon.”
“Vines alone are prickly, unappealing
things. The same can be said for the thorny events in our lives that we would
rather overlook then look over. The vine is the connection that watermelons have
in common. Our connection is the vine of Spirit.”
“The big green leaves that spring from
the vine protect the watermelons from the sun and wind. We are also protected
during our early years, not by leaves, but by loving parents, relatives, or
friends.”
“To the eye, a watermelon field is a sea
of circular objects. From afar each emerald-green case looks identical to every
other; yet up close each is as uniquely swirled as a fingerprint. From a
distance, we too look identical, but when we get up close and personal we become
aware of our unique, individual qualities. Watermelons come in all sizes, hues,
and shapes. Still, they are all born of a vine, the way humankind, of different
sizes, shapes and hues, are all born of woman.”
“George Bernard Shaw wrote of being used
for a purpose recognized as a mighty one and of being thoroughly used up when he
died. We can take a cue from watermelon, for every part of the melon is used. My
mother pickled the rind when I was a kid; you can drink the juice; the seeds can
be toasted for snacks or used to grow more watermelons; and of course you can
eat the meat, or as watermelon farmers say, the flesh, which is another
connection. Watermelon not only satisfies, it’s fun and it motivates.”
“All the actions and events in our lives
are linked, as if on a vine. We cannot detach ourselves from the constant vine
that binds us to our past and energizes our future. Just as all watermelons are
not as sweet as we anticipate, all of our life situations will not rise to our
expectations. Yet if we choose to, we can work for an attain the sweetness that
surges through the vines of our lives.”