Johnny Appleseed

I’ve always been fascinated by Johnny Appleseed. Haven’t you? The Disney version, singing and whistling, with animal friends, stayed in my memory with the bright, magical song “The Lord is Good to Me,” in Dennis Day’s sweet voice. Like many mythical heroes, Johnny Appleseed is a mixture of fact and embellishment.

Like you. Like me.

John Chapman was born in 1774 in Massachusetts, and planted nurseries of cider apples from Pennsylvania to Illinois for hard cider, useful to pioneers who followed, since water wasn’t always available. I like to picture him tossing apple seeds, but he planned his nurseries and fenced them, leaving someone to look after them, returning to check progress.

An amazing man of robust endurance and strong beliefs, his doctrine of God’s love for all believers, and the purpose of religion doing only good to others must have been a shake-up to Puritan Christians. He was an excellent preacher and story teller, and lived his faith with passion, leaving behind apples and tracts by Emmanuel Swedenborg, whose beliefs he cherished. He died of pneumonia at 71, and his legend grew quickly into the Johnny Appleseed known by the rest of us.

Planting apple trees, whether his actual nurseries or the legendary seed-tossing, is much like sharing stories, life experiences, hobbies, and writing. You love to read, proved by your interest in books and Goodreads. I love to read and write. That makes us each a Johnny Appleseed. The question is—what are we planting?

Let’s make it memorable.

Let’s make it beneficial.

Let’s plant healthy seeds and branching trees.