Chapter Twenty Three:Harvest of Dreams

Summer simply sprawled over Meadowbrook, painting everything in shades of green and gold. A sea of blossoms once taken in by now held the fruits of Lily and Mark's labor. Apple trees, heavy with ripe, juicy apples placed on branches that could barely support the weight of the sweet aftermath of hard work, fastened their trunks into the weighty ground.

With hearts swelling, Lily and Mark gazed down the apple orchard from the fence that enclosed it. It had been a rollercoaster of a journey, really—lots of hard work and many moments of joy. Now, in preparation for their first full harvest, they felt nothing if not an immense feeling of accomplishment.

"Incredible," marvelled Mark, his voice filled with wonder. "To think that all this started with a few young saplings."

".. . more than we could ever imagine," choked up Lily.

They had come a long way from the time they planted the orchard. The trees had suffered through storms and droughts, pests and diseases, but also flourished under their care. As they walked through the orchard, the spread of promise for a good harvest opened before them.

"The harvest. We're going to need help," she started out loud. "And we're going to have to coordinate things for the farm tours and the market."

Mark nodded, his mind already racing with plans. "I'll reach out to our friends and neighbors—I'm sure they'd be glad to help."

In the next few days, they made plans to harvest, scheduled and ordered everything they would need to do for the activity. Emily dived in with great pleasure and eased in the cleaning and organizing of the barn where apples would arrive to settle before sorting and packing.

The sky was clear, the dawn was bright, the air was slightly frosty, and its every breath promised a warm day. Lily and Mark stood outside the barn, welcoming guests. Everybody seemed to be enthusiastic, as the noises in the air showed laughter and good spirit.

They worked hard all the day—collecting apples from tall trees and placing them gently into the crates. Emily helped out wherever she could, her many hands working about gently yet purposefully. The puppy darted between their legs, excitedly barking, as it stealthily slipped an apple into its mouth or two.

By midafternoon, the first of the bins was brimming to the top with apples, waiting to be taken to the barn to be sorted. Lily wiped sweat from her brow and surveyed the orchard.

"We're making great headway!" said Lily, with a smile, to Mark.

He grinned back at her, his face flushed with exertion. "Hard work, but worth it. Look at all these apples!

The sun lowered its rays, casting a warm gold light over the orchard, and they gathered what was left of daylight in the setting sun. Sitting on the porch of the farmstead house, they sipped homemade lemonade and traded harvest stories.

"This reminds me of when we first planted the orchard," Lily said, her voice soft with nostalgia. "It feels like a lifetime ago.

Mark beamed and nodded his agreement. "But look how far we've come, though. We've turned our dreams into reality."

This harvest lasted days, with more hard working in between and celebrating moments. Friends, neighbors, and help joined at the farm. They showed up and all but rolled up their sleeves to pitch in sorting and packing apples into crates ready for the farm market and their growing list of customers.

The last of the apples crated and set aside, Lily and Mark stood together in the barn, looking at the rows of crates filled with fruit. The sweet smell of apples mixed in with the earthy hay and wood and sat heavy in the air.

"We did it," Mark intoned with awe. "We really did it.

Lily smiled, a peace settling over her. "Yes, we did. And there's so much more yet to come.

They had celebrated with all their friends and neighbors over dinner, enjoying roasted chicken and vegetables, topped with their own apple pie. The house was filled with laughter and music—a sign of their now-sprung ties of friendship and community.

With autumn's arrival, the evenings grew cooler. Over a harvest of the late summer, augmented from neighboring Waldron's services, Lily and Mark drew reflections on what this boded for their future. Indeed, the success of the harvest so far had revitalized confidence and renewed the determination of growing and expanding the farm.

"We've proved that no matter what we set our minds to, we can do it," Mark said one evening as they sat on the porch swing watching the sun dip below the orchard.

Lily had nodded, her heart full. "Yes, we have. And there's still so much more we want to do."

They talked well into the night making plans and dreaming of the future. There were visions of growing their orchard, adding crops into the fields, continuing to innovate and come up with new products. Small dreams like hosting bigger farm-to-table dinners and offering more in-depth experiences to the farm visitors.

But most of all, they dreamed about adding to their family. Emily was their pride and joy, but both of them knew that their hearts had space for other children. They dreamed about a hustle-bustle kind of house, with their own laughter and love, twinkling eyes in their children, and the happy confusion that the developing family always brings.

"We have built up a good base," Mark retorted with determination in his tone, continuing, "whatever the future may bring, we are prepared for it.

This created a lot of hope again within Lily, and a small smile eased into place. "Yup, I know we are. Together, we can do anything."

The stars winked back into the inky blackness, leaving the new day to have most surely begun its journey. The dreams harvested had brought these two to this place of peace and happiness. They were ready for whatever adventures lay in front of them.

In it, Lily and Mark had found the inner experience of being content and at peace; at the very heart of Meadowbrook, they had surrounded themselves with the beauty of the land and warmed themselves with the bonnie feel of family, knowing whatever lay ahead, they would face it lovingly, bravely, and with tenacious determination.