Along with the Korean Fir seedling I planted on Sunday were three currant bushes. Currants produce berries in clusters that can be used to make jam, jelly, compote and even wine. The meaning of currants in botanical symbology is rather Freudian and not very useful for our purposes here.
But then I read about a fellow who was given a bare root currant bush - a stick really - like those I planted and have pictured above. The bush rooted quickly and since he had no idea what to do with the berries (and admits to being too lazy to learn) he tore out the bush which promptly grew back. The next year he not only cut down the bush but chopped it out of the ground with an ax. Still it grew back, which caused him to think a bit, and so he transplanted the bush, putting it in next to the barn where it was somewhat sheltered and produced berries in abundance.
After all of that he rather wisely suggested that currants should be recognized as symbols of hope and forgiveness. Maybe we should all have a couple of currant bushes to fend off the despair and outrage of the day. Spread some homemade currant jam on our morning toast as an antidote to hate and resentment!
