Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday and Monday, September 6 and 7, 2026
Can you think of a sight or sound or taste or smell or touch that’s guaranteed to make you smile?
Just thinking about such a list makes me smile! I know that the sound of a baby laughing will always do that for me, and the taste of apple pie like my mother used to make. My list is much longer than that, though.
Last week I stood still in the middle of Carpinito Bros Farm Stand, a garden center and local produce market, and smiled. I was gazing at beautiful begonias in a multitude of colors. I turned to the produce area, and my eyes and smile widened at all the colors that I knew tasted even better than they looked – peaches, nectarines, plums, apples, melons, pears, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, lemons, limes, avocados, radishes, broccoli, cucumbers, cilantro, carrots, zucchini blossoms, beets, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, green beans, corn on the cob, and more!
I felt rich in the midst of all that goodness.
While I appreciate grocery stores, I don’t usually stand still in their produce aisles and grin. I think that’s because those stores stock so much more than fresh fruit and veggies, and there’s a lot of hustle-bustle and other commerce going on around me.
But there in the farm stand, it was easy to feel surrounded by God’s goodness. I remembered the invitation to “Taste and see that the Lord is good . . .” (Psalm 34:8 NIV).
Considering the context in which this psalm was written (David on the run from King Saul’s army), and the last half of the verse, “ . . . blessed is the one who takes refuge in him,” I think David was tasting the goodness of God’s protection.
However, I think we can literally taste and see God’s goodness in the incredible variety of food He has created for our enjoyment.
And we can also listen and see, smell and see, touch and see, and look and see! God’s goodness is all around us! How easy it is to get mired down in the messiness of life, and the chaos and tragedies we hear about each day. Not only hear about, but experience!
I tend toward the melancholic, so I know I need to tend to the health of my body, mind, and soul by choosing my focus each day. As we step out into this brand-new week, I plan to begin each morning by saying out loud, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” and then keeping all my senses alert to experience that goodness, and give thanks.