The best way to multiply your happiness is to share it with others - Unknown
A Box Full of More Than Mangoes
I used to roll my eyes whenever people talked about "Christmas in July."
I never quite understood the excitement.
But now I get it.
July is mango season, people.
It's the most wonderful time of the year! (now I'm singing the song...lol)
Christmas came early when a friend showed up with a box overflowing with Julie mangoes.
Now, if you live in the Caribbean, you know that a box of Julie mangoes is no small thing! It is the kind of gift that instantly brightens your day.
As I looked at the box overflowing with fruit, I couldn't help but smile. Some mangoes were ready to eat, others needed a few more days, and a few carried the little marks and blemishes that remind us they came from a real tree and not a supermarket shelf.
But as I stood there admiring my unexpected treasure, I realized this wasn't really a story about mangoes.
It was a story about sharing.
By evening, I found myself counting mangoes—not to see how many I had received, but to decide who I could share them with.
When the Harvest Is Too Good to Keep
One of the wonderful challenges of gardening is abundance.
Sometimes a tree produces more fruit than one family can possibly use. Before long, the kitchen counter is full, the fruit bowl is overflowing, and you're trying to decide who to call before everything ripens at once!
That is often when the harvest begins its journey.
A few mangoes go to a neighbour.
A bag is sent to a relative.
A friend leaves with more fruit than they expected.
And just like that, one tree feeds many households.
The Harvest Continues
As grateful as I was for this generous gift, I knew I couldn't keep all those mangoes to myself. There were simply too many for my household to enjoy before some became overripe.
So I did what gardeners have done for generations.
I shared them.
As I packed mangoes to pass along, I found myself thinking about something my mother always taught us:
"Share whatever little you have."
It didn't matter whether it was food, fruit, or simply your time. If you had enough to help someone else, you shared.
Those lessons stay with you.
The box of mangoes that arrived at my home did not stop being a gift when it reached my doorstep. The gift simply continued its journey to someone else.
More Than Fruit
Gardening teaches us many things—patience, persistence, and gratitude among them.
But perhaps one of the greatest lessons is this: a harvest is about more than what we grow.
It is about the friendships we nurture, the kindness we pass along, and the joy of sharing what we have been blessed with.
As the saying goes:
"For it is in giving that we receive."
And sometimes, the sweetest part of the harvest isn't the mango itself—it's knowing that someone else gets to enjoy it too.
🌱 Over to You
Have you ever received a gift from someone's garden—or shared part of your own harvest with others?
I'd love to hear your story in the comments below.
Until next time, keep growing, keep sharing, and keep dancing that happy garden dance! 💚🌿🥭
Grey hair, green thumb, garden savvy.
thegreyhairedgardener.blogspot.com
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