On Easter this year, we restarted our tradition of having an Easter egg hunt at our house. My uncle filled the eggs he brought with philosophical tidbits in addition to the usual candy. I happened to come across the egg bearing the message, "Plant a seed in whose shade you will never sit." I reflected on this thought for quite a while.

The first thing that hit me was, of course, the literal meaning. We have been putting more attention on our environment, and rightfully so. The day before Easter, I had helped with a program called Reforest the Bluegrass, which is working to reestablish native woodland habitats in Lexington and the surrounding area. Appropriately, we were planting saplings in a park. Even the youngest children there probably won't ever see that area fully restored. Unfortunately, that seems to be a trend with much environmental work. As much work as we put into an area or project, it will be our children or grandchildren who truly see it completed. We plant the seed hoping that someday someone will enjoy the shade.

After that I thought about the broader implications of the challenge. What are we doing in our world to guarantee that we are leaving it in better condition than we found it? What are we doing to ensure that we are fighting intolerance and prejudice? How can we be sure that our descendants will be able to live in a world where people aren't bound by poverty?

We face these challenges knowing that we may never live to see the day when we will succeed. Many times we find that disheartening. We love to succeed, to see results, to be able to point to our accomplishments. Yet, in many cases, we find ourselves in a position where those things elude us. And that apparent failure does not sit well with us, and we run the risk of losing hope. This is when it becomes critical for us to focus on the future and know that we are not doing this for our generation or ourselves, but that we are doing this for the future generations. We are planting many seeds now, and we must tenderly care for our plants of justice, peace and love. In doing so we are making the world a better place, even if the final picture eludes us. So I must encourage all of you to plant the seeds for the future so that others may enjoy the shade.