“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (The true vine – John:15)

I love the parable of the vine and it is worthwhile to be contemplated. I came to think about it walking through the hills and vineyards close by my home. Throughout the year I can observe the vine pruning and cutting and burning of the dead branches, the ripening of the grapes and  the days of picking them, some of them left on the vine until the first frost.  It takes a lot of work to make wine, but if you observe well, you realise the valuable essence in a simple glass of wine.  Where I live, I still know where the grapes of the wine I drink have been  growing, watched them being pruned and cared for. There is a lot of love in wine making, and it’s energy is healing. Just imagine to drink the essence of these sweet fruits, that have been ripening throughout a year, being nourished by the nutrients of the dark soil, kissed by the sun, showered by the rain and fanned by the wind.

And I look at the old, knobby vine and the young, green shoots and branches, bearing this year’s bounty. I taste the fruit from the vine. Its so succulent, juicy and sweet. I feel the energy of the sun, the earth and the wind. And I understand the meaning of the parable as a pointer to what nourishes us, enables us, moves us, lives in us and through us.

Just taste the sweetness of life.