愛 土地

遊遊媽  筆

 

2019過去了不免俗的回顧，過去四個月，幾乎每天早上都在學校廚房幫忙，米是隔壁農田生產的尚水米，我喜歡自己去倉庫拿懷寬剛碾好的米，聞聞米糠的味道。

週一早上自己種的田嘉琪送來她小小的地種出青翠的菜，嘉琪每週三下午也會在純園門口擺攤，她的菜若沒預訂很快就沒了，榮春農場的沛真下午送菜，她每次都會多給，客氣的說菜種的不好，說給孩子多吃一點。

      

週二溪州在地的阿富哥送來早上阿富嫂現摘的蔬菜，阿富哥也是少數種有機芭樂跟馬鈴薯紅蘿蔔的，他的馬鈴薯又Q又甜，芭樂雖小風味十足，週二下午展斌會送友雞蛋來，他的雞是吃非基改飼料，友善放牧，可以安養天年的，週四立多村早上8點就到了，俊岳不殺蟲，種的菜是蟲吃完才給人吃，富茂農場的仙霖姐，總是要五毛給10塊的提供薑跟香蕉，還有竹塘芊葳農場的杏鮑菇，紮實有彈性。田野勤學的光鏡和慧璇兩位年輕人回鄉種植有機黑豆，請溪州市場詹大哥做成豆腐豆干，莿桐珉任農場的林大姐，總是陪著我一顆顆挑選馬鈴薯，孟育的玉米、莊正燈的地瓜、美濃樂樂農場的白蘿蔔，不定時增添孩子的點心菜色，調味料也不馬虎，糖是虎尾糖廠、鹽是洲南鹽場，我們自己帶罐子去買，醬油是西螺陳和源的黑豆醬油，油膏特別買本土黑豆釀造的，麻油是家長老家在台南自種芝麻壓搾的。

      

我們盡力用在地農夫生產的作物，用我們的消費來愛台灣，讓我們的孩子認識他吃的食物是誰種的，每天洗菜時，雖然要抓很多蟲、清洗很多雜草，花很多時間挑菜，看到在從泥土裏陽光下奮力長出有生命力的蔬果，我都感謝這些農夫，帶給我們光跟土地的禮物，我們也不辜負這些食物，好好的利用，例如玉米梗跟鬚煮湯、殼曬乾洗碗，蔬菜心熬湯，蘿蔔皮醃成小菜，南瓜皮跟籽打碎、地瓜皮打碎一起煮......。

聽到農夫跟我說，這週的菜被蟲吃光、被水淹死，沒菜了，除了需要趕快找別的地方買菜外，我也心疼農夫們，我可以換一家買菜，但他的心血收入就沒有了，食物之於我們，不再是以價錢衡量，還有彼此的心意，感謝學校老師、家長願意支持，感謝廚師及志工們願意接受這些挑戰，希望大家都能有意識的好好擇食。

<文內相片拍攝於 基石華德福>

 

愛與小孩

Jason Yang  筆

2010年的春，是充滿祝福的。我們的孩子在宿舍不遠處的醫院出生，而且我們可以強烈地感覺到她迫不及待想和我們見面。那天，這位小女孩在下午茶前和我初次約會。當媽媽在休息時，我將她輕輕地捧在懷裡，互望許久，此時她將小手勾在我的小指上，我才意識到自己當爸爸了。「不要擔心，我會一直在你身旁的。」我輕聲地在她耳邊說著，我彷彿聽見了她的回應：「嗯，我知道！」那是我對孩子許下的第一個承諾，一個真誠互信的承諾。之後，我也同樣地對老二和老三許下看顧他們的承諾。
我的時間永遠都是由有限的片段構成，可以確定的是，我對孩子的愛是每天都在增長。我和一般的家長一樣，無法時時滿足孩子永無止境的要求。小孩也逐漸長大學會認字閱讀，對「承諾」開始有不同的想法並抱持著高度的敏感，且不時要求所有的事情都要打勾勾，來確保自己想要的東西都能得到保障。然而，小孩對承諾的事物，總是遠超乎大人的一切。

但就在過去幾年，我發現了我孩子因渴望而產生要求的小秘密 : 有時我們外出逛街，小孩總不例外地嚷著要買糖果、餅乾和玩具，但這些得不到的要求卻都不致於誘出那藏匿於孩子裡可怕的脾氣怪獸；而真正能處理脾氣怪獸的卻是最初我給孩子的那份「承諾」，在簡單的愛中許下的那份「承諾」。

某日，一個的靈感從早餐的桌上閃過，我隨口問道是否想去鄰近的公園，睡眼惺忪的孩子突然睜大了雙眼，異口同聲地喊：「要去！」在公園看他們迎著風，騎車時臉上綻放出燦爛的笑容，我才憶起過往對他們的承諾，被我種種的理由一再被擱置。

孩子們無時無刻都在細數我對他們的承諾，而我也盡我所能在能喘息之時去實現、完成它。我希望他們的要求，能透過我們信仰中的承諾、希望與陪伴，進而得到那份簡單、純潔的愛。
The spring in the year of 2010 was filled with blessing. Our first child arrived in a local hospital not far from our dormitory, and we knew our little one could not wait to meet us. Our girl was out right before tea time. Later that afternoon, we met for the first time. While mommy was resting, I placed her in my arms. I looked at her, and she looked back at me. When she held on to my pinky with her tiny hand, I realized I became a dad. I leaned over and whispered, “Don’t worry, I will always be there for you.” She replied gladly, “I know!” That was my first promise to my child, and we both agreed upon. With the second and third children, I also gave them my word to look after them.

As my children grew older and started reading stories, they learnt and became very sensitive to the idea of “promise,” and wanted us to pinky swear on everything to secure their interests that must be met. Of course, interests they have on their minds are always bigger and more important than any of adults’ works, but the intention behind is very simple – want to be loved.
My time is limited and divided, but my love for them, as far as I know, is growing every single day. Like most parents it is very difficult to satisfy all the wants from our children to the full extent of desire. In the past years, I have discovered the secret of my children’s wants.

When we are out shopping, my children would crave for cookies, candies, and toys just like most of the kids, but that desire would never unleash the tantrum beast inside them. One morning a thought came cross my mind while we were having breakfast in the dining room. I asked the children if they wanted to go to the park nearby. Their sleepy eyes suddenly opened wide and shouted out unanimously, “YES!” Those radiant smiles on their faces while paddling against the gentle summer breeze caught my attention. At that moment I realized the enjoy of bicycle riding in the park was something I mentioned to them a few week earlier, and I was too busy to put it off many times.

I know my children are keeping track of my promises, and I intend to keep them as long as I live. This is their wants, and love is what I would like them to experience through promise, hope, and companionship that are deeply rooted in our faith.
 

 

愛 植物

沐榕園藝社  筆

你聽到了嗎，那鳥兒在樹上叫的聲音和樹葉隨風擺盪的聲音；你聞到了嗎，那樹木開花所散發出來的氣味；你看到了嗎，樹上枝葉與花交織而成的繽紛色彩；你嚐到了嗎，那樹木所結出的美味果實。也許這些你都做到了，但你可曾觸碰那存在於我們生活環境之中的樹木呢？

藉由先進的繩索技術，可以安全地在樹上穿梭，用雙手去感受到樹皮的光滑與粗糙，也可以用身體去感受到樹幹的強壯與承載力，正因如此，我們得以在樹上與樹親近，發現它所看見的景色，並用所有感官去感受到它的生命力！因著這樣的技術讓我們近距離的與樹接觸，來幫它做安全與健康的檢查，還幫它修剪去乾枯腐朽的枝條，我喜歡將此稱作為「友善修剪」 。樹木帶給人們許多的貢獻，但因為我們對樹木還有很多被傳統思維所轄制住的觀念，形成許多誤解，讓有些人想要把它趕盡殺絕，恨不得離它遠遠地，甚至連多數的園藝單位還會以不當地修剪、粗魯砍亂鋸地剃光頭等方式來修剪這些樹木。樹沒有嘴巴，沒辦法說話，但它有身體語言，我們應該要看懂它的身體語言，然後幫它說話，人人都可以是樹醫生，只要你我從身邊的公園行道樹做起，培養正確的樹木生理常識，了解它、愛護它，慢慢地與樹木建立美好的關係，最終就能做到友善樹木、友善土地、友善地球。

Did you hear the birds chirping on the tree and the leaves flattering with the wind?
Did you see the leaves and the flowers weaving into miraculous patterns of colors?
Did you taste the delicious fruits produced by that tree?
Maybe you did all that, but have you tried to touch the trees that live among us?

By using the advanced rope access, one can safely climb up trees, feel the smoothness and roughness of their skin by hand, and feel the strength and capacity when standing on the branches. As we get intimate with the trees, we get to share their perspectives and to feel their vitalities. Thus, when there is a need to perform health and safety examinations, we can then trim away only the necessary dry twigs, which I like to call it as “friendly trim.”

Trees bring lots of contribution to the human kind. But because we are blinded by the traditional way of handling trees, and thus misunderstanding, the lives of trees are usually destroyed or removed without mercy. Even majority of gardening professionals would trim inappropriately or prune completely when tidying up the trees. Although trees do not speak, they do signal body language. We should learn to interpret their body language to help voice out for them. Everyone can be an arborist (tree doctor) by learning basic tree physiology and practicing proper tree care in the parks and on the streets. When we try to understand and love trees, we can gradually build a good relationship with them, which would then befriend the trees, the soil, and the Earth.