Read by Christy Page

“Mom, I found a remnant of your old mint patch!”

This exuberant proclamation catapulted me back a quarter of a century, to the time when my sisters and I raced barefoot over dandelion-gilded grass towards the homemade merry-go-round. Constructed by our hardworking farmer father, the carousel—with its makeshift handlebars and splintery wood—became the epicenter of our childhood adventures.

As the merry-go-round spun, braids flying, laughter echoed through the air. The scent of crushed mint beneath the pine trees lingered, foreshadowing the invigorating mint tea Mom would brew for supper—tall glasses of fragrant green sweetness, a respite after warm days of both work and play.

In the blink of an eye, childhood morphed into adulthood. I married, moved away, and the old house with its merry-go-round and mint patch became a distant memory. The pine trees grew tall, and the mint lost its battle for sunlight.

Years later, my sister Suzanne nostalgically yearned for Mom’s legendary mint tea. A mint cutting I shared wasn’t quite the same, prompting us to ponder if Mom’s secret ingredient was the passage of time.

On a visit to my parents’ yard last year, amidst the chaos of collecting perennials, I revisited the once-thriving mint patch. Had it vanished completely? Carefully climbing over fences, I discovered a resilient tuft of mint, struggling but sweet-scented. A survivor, much like me.

Excitement bubbled as I brought a piece home, planting it with my children’s eager assistance. Their thumbs turned green as we anticipated the growth of our own mint patch. My husband, in a delightful twist, proposed building a merry-go-round for our family—a circle of joy from childhood to parenthood.

As we await the completion of the carousel, I look forward to harvesting mint once more, brewing fragrant green sweetness for us all—a toast to the full circle of joy that carousels and mint patches bring to our lives. ❖

 
About the Author: Melissa Horst, along with her husband Travis, manages a 90-acre farm where they raise animals, poultry, and organic vegetables. Their focus is on sustaining their 14-cow dairy herd despite the challenging terrain of rocks and clay that dominates their land.