Ya, then..."fruits"

The farm wife turns off the TV evangelist
by Shari Wagner

The Jesus I grew up with
likes to be outside.
If he's not fishing, he's picking figs
or showing us his mustard crop.

He prefers dusty roads, the common sparrow,
and lilies of the field.
When he knocks on your door
holding a lantern, you know it's time
to buckle on overshoes
and go with him to feed the sheep.

But this preacher, who looks straight
into the camera and claims he knows
Jesus, says what he wants
is for me to believe in him
so he can come inside.

That sounds shifty to me.
Like a wolf with his paws dipped in flour.

Jesus who heals the blind
said we will know a tree by its fruit.
 

“The farm wife turns off the TV evangelist” by Shari Wagner from The Farm Wife’s Almanac. © Dream Seeker Books, 2019

   When I read this poem on Writer's Almanac today I though, "you will know them by their fruits" applies in many situations. It is appropriate in politics, commerce, education and friendship. 
    Friendship? Yes, friendship, though I had never thought about friends under this rubric before.  It really fits doesn't it. Friends, those family members we choose, bear fruit we cherish.  
    There were three Marines on the bus ride from San Diego to Omaha; Bob, Ed and Al. Bob was from Des Moines, a city boy and eventually we lost contact with him. Ed and Al, as farm boys spent hours comparing notes on farming in IA and SD.  As the conversation progressed it became clear that farming experience was a commonality but also there were deeply shared values.
    The basis for a life time friendship was laid and it was enhanced by being assigned to the same unit so we could work and live together until my discharge. Then I was blessed with a call to IA, which put me within 25 miles of Ed's farm. So, 18 years after my discharge, Ed and I were brought together again. Now Joanne and Mary Jane became good friends and that friendship was often nourished on long walks on country roads. Additionally, our children were close to the same age and I count their children, now adults, as friends, too.
   My life continues to be blessed by the fruits of my friends!

Takk for alt,

Al

Ed & Mary Jane welcoming me to the farm.