My favorite part of the garden is my berries. I’ve got strawberries, raspberries in both red and golden, and gooseberries. But the raspberries are my favorite. They taste like summer to me.

The funny thing about raspberries is that they don’t all ripen at once. You can’t rush the process. You just have to show up, day after day, and pick what’s ready. Some days, I bring in a bucket full. Other days, just a handful. But pruning, tending, and caring for those canes always pays off.

Every day during raspberry season, I grab a bowl and take a break from everything else. I head out to the patch, push into the canes, and sure enough, I always find the reward. It’s peaceful and satisfying. And it reminds me that the berries ripen in their own time.If I don’t check in often, some fall to the ground before I can get to them.

That got me thinking. This delicious task is similar to the work we do in NLHG. We show up month after month. We gather with the women in our communities. We share what we know and offer help where it’s needed. We don’t always see the results right away. But we plant the seeds, care for the relationships, and over time, we grow something sweet and meaningful.

Just like the raspberries, that kind of growth takes patience. It takes commitment. It takes hands that are willing to dig, prune, and sometimes get scratched. But when you step back and take it all in, you see it. Knowledge shared. Community built. Friendships formed.

Picking raspberries today reminded me why this work matters. It’s about being present. It’s about tending to what feeds us in every way. And it’s about sharing the bounty with others along the way.