My Mum Planted Soursop

My mom planted this soursop plant in our compound. Being a hybrid plant, we expected it to start fruiting after a year.

The first year came, the plant now a shrub did not fruit. The second year came, this plant flowered, produced some fruits and all the fruit withered away. The third year came, and the plant flowered again but bore only one fruit.

So this year, my mom called me, with a cutlass in her hand she asked, "What did the Bible say about a tree that does not bear fruits?"

I looked at her and said, "The Bible says that any tree that does not bear fruit should be cut down and cast into the lake of fire."

She said good and pointed at the soursop tree. "I am going to cut down this tree since it has refused to bear fruit."

I rushed toward my mom and snatched the cutlass from her hand. I begged her not to cut the tree.

She told me to give her one reason why she should not cut down the tree. After searching for several reasons, I said to her, "Mommy, let us just give it one last chance. If it does not bear fruits this year, we will cut it down."

And she agreed.

This year, when it started raining, the soursop tree began to flower. I will always walk around the tree and whisper, "You know if you don't bear fruit this year you will be cut down. So prove yourself to the world."

I don't know, but I felt the universe heard my whispers to this tree because to everyone's surprise, this soursop bore more than twenty fruits and they all survived. We have been plucking and eating it.

I don't know what you will make out of this story. But this is my prayer for us in this EMBER period:

When the world calls us useless and unproductive, may the universe bring someone who will stand by us and say, let us give him/her a second chance.8

And when we are given a second chance, just like this soursop tree, may we multiply and produce beyond measure.