Hope on the Kitchen Counter

A leek in winter light

Winter can feel endless to kids. The days are short, the ground is hard, and everything outside looks frozen in place. Nothing seems to be happening. Nothing seems to be growing. For young eyes especially, it can feel like the world has gone quiet—like life itself has pressed pause.

But winter isn’t the absence of growth. It’s the season of rest.

The earth sleeps for a reason. Roots go deep. Energy gathers. What looks like stillness is actually preparation. Seeds wait. Perennials hold their breath beneath the snow. Growth hasn’t stopped—it’s just hidden.

That’s a hard concept for kids (and honestly, for adults too). We tend to believe only what we can see.

Which is why yesterday’s leek felt like such a gift.

I cut the leek from the grocery store and placed the root end in a simple glass of water on the counter. No ceremony. No expectations. This morning—less than 24 hours later—a pale green shoot had already begun to rise. Quiet. Determined. Alive.

There it was: proof.

Even in winter.
Even indoors.
Even from something we almost threw away.

That’s the miracle of growth—it doesn’t require perfect conditions, just the right ones. A little light. A little water. Time. Rest. And then, when the moment is right, life responds.

For children who feel stuck in the long wait of winter, watching a kitchen scrap grow can be a revelation. It reminds them (and us) that the world hasn’t stalled. That life is not gone—only gathering strength. That hope doesn’t disappear just because it’s hidden for a season.

Sometimes the most powerful lessons don’t come from grand gardens or springtime fields, but from a glass of water on the counter and a leek quietly doing what it was made to do.

Hope really does spring eternal.
Sometimes, it only takes a day to show itself.

I’ve developed a kids’ project on growing new veggies from kitchen scraps. Download it below!