Giving Thanks

   
The trees in the Mount Pocono region have shed their leaves for the most part. The nights are cold. Thankfully a brisk walk does not require more than a sweater, although stopping in the Swift Water valley, where the stream was shadowed by swaying oaks and hemlocks, I was glad to have my hoodie at hand.

We have come to celebrate the continuous (April through November) harvest of vegetables from the Snipes Farm and Education Center CSA. The young farmers are here with us to relax and reflect on the months of hard work and abundant harvests, which the Bucks County land has produced. A long walk by the steam and through the woods was perfect for those short, intimate, gathered conversations which deepen our sense of each other -- the kind of conversations no one has time for during the mad rush of spring and summer plantings. It is a time to relish the purpose to which our energies have been focused and to express the gratitude that we each have for one another. The bare trees and cold on our faces – a stark contrast to the hot summer and its greenery everywhere – intensified the unspoken acknowledgement that we could only have had those harvests by working together; only by working together.

After the walk we prepared a dinner of organic chicken and pork raised from the farm, just-dug Red potatoes, a fresh salad from the greenhouse and amazing carrots + beats in a ginger glaze. The no-knead bread was desert in itself. Ninety percent of the meal was grown by the group.

Why is it that late evenings are the times when the most heartfelt conversations occur? Among us we were in our 50’s, 40’s, 30’s and 20’s. One a newly wed thinking about children. Three empty nesters wondering about retirement. Those in their 20’s trying to figure out if committing to a career as farmers – and thus in some way eschewing the “typical” career path – is doable. Those in mid-career are carried by the momentum of their choices and buffeted by the realities of our chaotic world. Our theme all along was farming because, don’t forget, we came to celebrate the harvests. But in that joyfulness there was also a certain longing. A longing for security or for predictability? Maybe it was the wondering that, if we keep on this path, everything will turn out all right? Unfortunately, looking around the world, our country and our community predictability and stability seem illusive right these days. Where should we find our strength now?

Last summer was really hot and there was a long drought on Snipes farm. In July the farmers gathered to discuss the wilting of the crops. Was it worth weeding if the carrots were going to wither anyway? They looked at the harsh reality and determined that they must go on with a prudence grounded in optimism. So they continued, they nurtured, they weeded and they planted. Under ground the desiccating plants sent their roots deeper and deeper searching for their strength. Finally the rains came in October, after the growing season, and the plants jumped forth producing a harvest which is the best ever! For the farmers there was no predicting the rains, only hope and each other, knowledge and skill, and above all being truthful about what was really happening on any given day. Let us give thanks for that perseverance, forced by the unpredictability of our lives, these times, our planet, and thanks for the assurance that in community we shall get through. We shall harvest.

This article was contributed by Thomas G. Wells

THOMAS G. WELLS CONSTRUCTION L.L.C.
105 Pennsylvania Avenue
Yardley, Pa. 19067

Tel: 215-321-4818
Fax: 215-321-2179
Cell: 215-378-4048
http://www.tgw-construction.com/

PA CONTRACTOR # #PA003219 • NJ CONTRACTOR #13VH03383400

Source:
Superior Woodcraft, Inc. Custom Cabinetry Blog
Superior Woodcraft, Inc. Website

Superior Woodcraft, located in Doylestown, Pa, handcrafts custom made cabinetry for the home.