Too Much Zucchini
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.” — Deuteronomy 8:10
We are entering the spring harvest season at the Common Good Farm. This year, we have had rain. Lots of rain. The vegetables are making the most of it. Each morning, we walk through the rows of crops and find something new that should have been picked the day before. The zucchini are about the size of baseball bats now. The cucumbers seem to double in size overnight. Squash pop up unexpectedly. The tomatoes will be ready soon. The challenge right now is not whether the crops will grow. The challenge is that everything ripens at once.
Every year, there is a short time when the farm shifts from not enough to more than enough almost overnight. For months, we prepare the soil, plant seeds, watch the weather, pull weeds, and wait. Then, all at once, everything is ready. Soon, I’ll probably feel the same way I do every year: I won’t want to see another zucchini, squash, or cucumber for a long time.
Thinking about this made me reflect this week. We spend a great deal of our lives worrying about scarcity. Will there be enough money? Enough time? Enough opportunity? Enough love? Enough security? Many of our fears begin there.
But standing in the middle of a field overflowing with vegetables, I was reminded that abundance creates its own challenges.
Scarcity asks, “Will there be enough?” Abundance asks, “What do I do with all of this?”
You cannot eat every zucchini. You cannot harvest every cucumber. You cannot preserve everything. Eventually, having more than enough means we have to make choices. It encourages us to be generous, to use good judgment, and to let things go.
Spiritual traditions consistently center lessons about this exact conundrum. When Jesus feeds the five thousand, the story does not end when everyone has enough to eat. The disciples gather twelve baskets of leftovers. The abundance becomes part of the lesson. What we do with what we have received?
The same thing happens in our lives. Some people inherit abundance in the form of wealth. Others receive abundance in relationships, opportunities, education, creativity, health, or time. Some seasons of life bring an abundance of possibilities. Others bring an abundance of responsibilities. The challenge is learning to accept abundance without feeling like we have to keep it all.
I think this is one of the reasons gratitude matters so much. Gratitude lets us enjoy a gift without feeling like we have to control it. It helps us accept what we have today without expecting it to last forever. Gratitude helps us let go.
The farm teaches this lesson every year. The zucchini do not care whether I can eat them all. The cucumbers are not worried about efficiency. The tomatoes are not calculating future market conditions. Mother Nature simply keeps offering herself. Some of it will be eaten. Some of it will be shared. Some of it will be canned. Some of it will become chicken food. Some of it will become next year’s soil. Nothing is wasted.
I think that might be part of the wisdom that comes with abundance. The purpose of abundance is not accumulation. The purpose of abundance is participation. To receive. To enjoy. To share. And eventually, to let go.
Today, I am grateful for the rain.
I am grateful for the harvest.
And despite what I may be saying three weeks from now, I am even grateful for the zucchini.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where are you experiencing abundance in your life right now?
How do you respond when you have more than enough—more opportunities, more resources, more commitments, or even more blessings than you can fully receive?
What might it look like to share, enjoy, or release some of what you have been trying to hold onto?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For the Gifts We Cannot Keep
Loving Spirit, We spend so much of our lives worrying about what we lack. We worry there will not be enough time, enough money, enough energy, enough opportunity, enough love. Yet sometimes life surprises us with abundance. The harvest comes. The garden overflows. The blessings multiply faster than we know what to do with them. Teach us how to receive these gifts with gratitude rather than anxiety. Help us enjoy what is here without trying to possess it forever. Give us generous hearts when there is more than enough. Give us open hands when it is time to share. And remind us that every good gift is meant to move through us, not simply accumulate around us. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Taking Stock of the Harvest
Today, take ten minutes and make a list of the forms of abundance present in your life right now.
Don’t focus only on money. Consider friendships. Experiences. Skills. Knowledge. Health. Community. Opportunities. Moments of beauty. Small daily blessings that have become easy to overlook.
When your list is complete, choose one item and ask yourself: What is this abundance asking of me?
Perhaps it is asking you to enjoy it. Perhaps it is asking you to share it. Perhaps it is asking you to express gratitude. Perhaps it is asking you to let go of the fear that there will never be enough.
The farm teaches me every year that abundance is not something we own. It is something we participate in.
Spend a few moments today noticing the harvest that is already present around you.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.
June 9, 2026, 12:30-1:30pmET - Book Club in The Commons - FREE - We are starting our next book, The Glorians by Terry Tempest Williams. We will meet each Tuesday for 6 weeks. It’s such great fun. I hope you will be a part. All are welcome! RSVP HERE.
June 11, 18, 24, 2026, 12:30pm ET - I will be joining Jackie Sussman on The Commons for a three-part series on practicing eidetics as a part of our “Reclaiming the Power of Imagination” series. Jackie, a psychotherapist, author, and leading expert in Eidetic Image Psychology, has spent over forty years helping leaders and individuals unlock creativity, uncover hidden strengths, and move through limiting patterns. During these sessions, she will lead a live Eidetic process shaped by mythic imagery, offering a direct experience of the work. REGISTER HERE.
September 8, 2026, 7-9pm ET, ONLINE EVENT - I’ll be hosting a powerful online gathering on The Black Madonna: Sacred Wisdom for a World in Crisis with Matthew Fox, Alessandra Belloni, and Christena Cleveland. We will explore the Black Madonna as a symbol of resilience, liberation, sacred feminine wisdom, and healing in a fractured world through conversation, story, music, and spiritual reflection. If you feel drawn toward a deeper encounter with the Divine Feminine and the ancient traditions that continue to nourish movements for justice and wholeness, I hope you’ll join us. Learn more and REGISTER HERE.
October 18-21, 2026 - PREACH! 2026 Conference- I’ll be co-hosting PREACH in Minneapolis with Church Anew, a new gathering for preachers, storytellers, worship leaders, and spiritual communicators navigating what it means to speak with clarity, compassion, and courage in a changing world. If you’ve sensed that the preaching moment has changed and are longing for thoughtful community and renewed imagination for this work, I hope you’ll join us.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
June 8, 2026, 12pm ET - ONLINE WRITING GROUP - My dear friend, Meryl Marshall-Daniels, is leading a writing group open to all. This is a simple and spacious writing circle for people who want time to listen inwardly and put words on the page without overthinking, performing, or polishing. Meryl offers a prompt designed to invite reflection, imagination, and attunement to what is already alive within you. The practice honors writing as a way of listening, of letting images, memories, questions, and insights surface in their own time. Learn more here.
June 8, 2026, 12pm ET - My friends at the Franciscan Federation are launching a new online community called “The Piazza.” This is a place for all Franciscan-hearted people to gather, connect with one another and build community together. They are launching the community on June 8. I hope you can be a part of their launch event. I will be there, for sure!
June 20, 2026 – ONLINE EVENT – Margaret Wheatley and Mary Daniels will lead a special three-hour online gathering titled Fierce Compassion: The Power of the Sacred Feminine. In a time marked by fragmentation, fear, and exhaustion, this program explores compassion not as passive kindness, but as a courageous force that protects life, tells the truth, and remains deeply rooted in love. Drawing from spiritual traditions, contemplative practice, and the imagery of fierce feminine wisdom figures such as Kali and Durga, they will reflect on what it means to stay human and spiritually grounded in difficult times. LEARN MORE + REGISTER.
JULY 12, 2026, 8AM–8PM ET in NYC - My friend Monika Son is helping lead a powerful Buddhist-led, interfaith pilgrimage across New York City titled “Day of Remembering Our Interdependence.” Inspired by the Buddhist monks’ 2,300-mile Walk for Peace and grounded in the wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh, participants will gather for walking meditation, prayer, chanting, ceremony, and collective reflection across all five boroughs, including stops at the African Burial Ground and the Metropolitan Detention Center where ICE detainees are being held. The day will culminate in a joyful community gathering in Queens with music, poetry, movement, and food. Participants are welcome to join for the full pilgrimage or any portion of the day. LEARN MORE HERE.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
Where my wife grew up you had to lock your car when going into town otherwise you may find a basket of zucchini on the seat when you return to the car.
Cameron just want to say that I love your daily reflections. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and faith with us all. They help us to fight the temptations to despair right now. Let us keep praying for our country and for people with integrity, such as yourself, who continue to inspire us to keep hope alive and continue running the good race.