Chaplain’s thoughts … Raising Airmen like growing gardens

Growing a garden takes patience, faith, and determination.

It takes patience to give space where needed, time to grow, faith that the growth is happening even when we can’t see it, and determination to try new things until you find what works for a specific plant.

Many things in life can be approached like growing a plant. Forging new relationships, raising your children, and even developing Airmen. Each Airman has different needs and requires unique environments to flourish. Some Airmen may need constant supervision, others need a little guidance here and there, while others thrive on, for lack of a better plant comparison, being left alone. But, just like growing your garden, you must utilize trial and error.

I faced many setbacks early in my Air Force career. I failed tech school courses —yes, plural. But much like my garden at home, my leaders continued to water and tend me, with extra mentorship on the side.

When a new NCO had the pleasure of taking over as part of my new leadership, they did not balk at the neglect of my “garden,” rather they began watering. They watered a garden of which they would never reap benefits. They continued to care and mentor because they knew one day I would become a gardener. They knew they were shaping the next generation of gardeners and if they failed me, they could affect generations of “crops.”

One or more failures could have decades-long effects. Gardeners make mistakes: they over-water; they plant species that don’t mesh alongside each other; and sometimes they forget about the plant’s needs altogether.

Failure is an absolute, but thank goodness, gardening is forgiving. Keep persistent, be willing to admit when you are wrong and strong enough to take the corrective action and have faith that your efforts will come to fruition.

Gardening is good for the soul. Growing Airmen is good for the soul. Find what works for each Airman and cultivate that experience with persistence, open mindedness, and faith. Do not look to how you were grown as an airman, for the climate is always changing; instead, see what you are given to work with, and adapt. The garden is yours to tend, how many people will you be able to feed?

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