Then the Lord said to
him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,” he
replied.
The Lord said, “Throw
it on the ground.”
I
have a staff. But I usually call it a walking stick. My friend fashioned it for
me from an old tobacco stick.
Many
Southern Maryland farmers used to grow tobacco, but twenty years ago they voluntarily
accepted funds from Maryland’s Tobacco Buyout program, agreeing to give up
tobacco production in lieu of an alternative. Since then, many have turned to produce,
flowers, and agro-tourism. I applaud them for giving up the lucrative income of
a harmful addictive substance and taking a risk to try something new. And I
enjoy the results of their creative efforts—mazes of corn and sunflowers, pick-your-own
patches, and petting zoos. I am also impressed with their resourcefulness in
using leftover tobacco sticks. Once used for hanging tobacco plants in barns
for curing, these sticks have been turned into stars, crosses, and walking
sticks.
