Nestled within the vibrant ecosystem of our homestead, the Four Sisters garden stands as a testament to nature’s wisdom and a family’s dedication. With the corn, beans, squash, and the resplendent sunflowers that encircle our cherished sitting stump, this space is more than a plot of land; it’s a tableau of life. Here, we’ve observed the mutual support of the sisters: the beans reaching up the corn, the squash sheltering the soil, and the sunflowers beaming down from above, once the throne of our majestic peacock, Peekaboo. These plants, which have traveled across generations and landscapes to find their place in our Alabama home, now provide not only sustenance but also a connection to the earth that is deep and sustaining.

In this lush growth, our children have found both education and inspiration, learning firsthand the symbiotic relationships that define our ecosystem. They’ve seen how nature’s cycles are echoed in our own lives, with each season bringing its own lessons and its own form of abundance. As the garden provides, so do we learn and grow—each harvest reaping more than just produce, but also yielding the rich stories that weave through the fabric of our daily lives.