Saturday, September 4, 2021

Dear God,

At Spiller Farm I bent down low to pick beets and dig up carrots.  My friend cut the leaves and bagged them.  An hour later I stood at the farm stand and paid for the produce.  I thanked Anna, the farm owner, and then drove back through the country to my home on Pleasant Street.  

After I washed off the dirt, I began the canning process.  As I worked, I could not help but pray for the Spillers who have maintained their beautiful farm for 55 years.  Now in their 80's they still provide the most colorful, tasty and sublime fruits and vegetables.  

I gave thanks for the amazing way you created produce that heightens every human sense when I home can all I pick, bushels and baskets of peaches, pears, apples, carrots, beets, tomatoes, onions, peppers, corn, black and red raspberries, blueberries and strawberries.  They are purple, white, red, yellow, orange, black, blue and green.  And texture, yes, so many textures.  You made them all.

Home canning is a spiritual exercise, Lord.  You have called me to this task as I both enjoying eating them and giving them away to friends, family, neighbors, the oil man, the carpenter, and well, whoever else winds up at my door.  What joy you bring to me, dear God, and I am indeed grateful.

Most Holy and Creator God,

the wonder

of harvest

amazes me

every year.

Without your touch,

the rain,

warm temperatures

and sunshine,

there would be

no fruit

or vegetables.

That's when

I bite 

into the flesh

of every gift

of Autumn

and utter

a prayer

of thanks.

Love, Andrea