By Von C. Howard
I grew up hearing stories about my great-grandfathers. My paternal great-grandfather, Lester Howard, Sr., may have had a first-grade education at most in rural Claxton, Georgia, in the early 1900s. My maternal great-grandfather, Nathan Peeples, didn’t have formal schooling either, yet he was a master carpenter who helped build the Florida East Coast Railroad through Broward County, where he and his family later settled in Fort Lauderdale.
Neither of them had the privileges we take for granted today, but both knew something timeless: growth doesn’t happen by luck. It comes from showing up, putting in the work, and watering the ground you stand on even when it’s hard.
In 2025, it’s easy to look across the fence and think life must be better somewhere else. A new job. A new city. A new relationship. The grass looks greener—but often it’s an illusion. Grass doesn’t grow greener by wishing or walking away. It grows where it’s nurtured, where it’s cared for, and where we refuse to quit.
The Common Denominator: Us
Whatever field we’re in, work, family, community, we bring ourselves. A career left untended will fade no matter the office. Relationships neglected will wither regardless of the partner. Communities we criticize without giving back will never thrive. The soil isn’t always the problem; it’s our willingness to cultivate it.
Lessons From Hard Times
Watering your grass means showing up even when it hurts. Even when the rain keeps falling. Even when it seems like nothing is changing. My great-grandfathers worked hard in hard times, and their legacies still teach us that persistence creates opportunity, even when the world feels stacked against you.
For my kids, nieces and nephews, and the young people I mentor: don’t quit too soon. Life will test you. Dreams may stall. But if you keep showing up, keep watering, keep believing, growth will come.
The Bible reminds us in Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” Whatever season you’re in, whatever field you’re standing in, pour your energy into it. That’s how legacies are built.
And as Beyoncé sings in “Rise Up”: “And I’ll rise up, I’ll rise like the day, I’ll rise up, I’ll rise unafraid.” Life will knock you down, but resilience is built in how you keep standing, how you keep watering your ground, and how you keep trusting the process.
Tupac said it best in “Keep Ya Head Up”: “And when he tells you you ain’t nothin’, don’t believe him.” There will be people, circumstances, and setbacks that try to make you quit. Don’t believe them. Keep tending your field.
How to Water Your Grass?
Audit your garden: Take a hard look at your career, relationships, community—and yourself. What are you doing to nurture growth?
Water daily: Small, consistent steps matter. A phone call. A conversation. A prayer. Showing up.
Fertilize with gratitude: Recognize what’s already good. Sometimes the green we seek is right under our feet.
Pull the weeds: Remove distractions, excuses, or habits that stunt growth.
Trust the process: Growth takes time. Don’t abandon your field before the harvest.
Final Thought
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side, it’s greener where you water it. Hard work, even in hard times, produces lasting growth. My great-grandfathers’ lives are proof that commitment, persistence, and care make fertile ground, no matter the circumstances.
So, here’s my call to the community: invest in yourself and invest in each other. Mentor a young person. Volunteer. Strengthen family bonds. Show up for your neighbors. Lift as you climb. Water your grass, and watch what blooms, not just for you, but for generations to come.
Because at the end of the day, the question isn’t where the grass is greener, it’s how willing we are to do the hard work to make it green, even in hard times.
