聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Our Autumn has come.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 This is my favourite season. Although I know that the next season to come upon us will be winter, I don't let that dismay me. I see little merit to letting thoughts of winter prevent me from enjoying the season I have now.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 There is an honest beauty in this season. I'm actually more likely to grab a sweater and spend time outside now than during the summer. I love that glistening blue sky. I delight in the ways that green matures into bronze and gold.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I understand that I am witness to an ending.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But it's in that ending that I find my fondest hope.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I am speaking of the harvest.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 These days, many of us think of harvest as a 'finish line'. We count the crop we reap as our 'reward'. This is understandable. These days, the true 鈥渉arvest鈥� often isn't the crop itself. Rather, it is the money earned when that crop is sold. And, while many would say that there is 鈥渘o choice鈥� and 鈥渢his is the way life is now鈥�, these facts do nothing to rectify the problem.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We have begun to lose sight of what harvest truly is.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I was blessed to have 12 harvests with Gary Antonenko. Gary had a farmer's soul. MS had stolen his ability to farm the way he had in his youth. But, he still measured his days according to the pattern set out by seed-time and harvest.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 His garden was his 鈥渇ield鈥�. It stretched out over a full acre and included every plant that he most loved to grow 鈥� apple trees, strawberries, asparagus and corn - and in an 鈥渁verage鈥� year at least 200 tomatoes.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 When fall came, we were busy. Gary picked. I processed. By now, I would have already canned a few hundred pounds of produce 鈥� and frozen hundreds more. In a September like this one, we might even be starting to fill the three wooden bins in the cellar with potatoes.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We did sell some of what we grew. There are always things one needs to buy that can't be made or grown at home. But, most of what we grew was our food for the winter.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In all my years with Gary, there was never ANY reason to feel hungry in our house.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Yet, harvest was not only about storing up food for the winter. It was also about collecting the seed that we would plant out next spring. There were a few plants (like cabbage) that would be grown from store-bought seed. But, as often as we reasonably could, we used our own seed every spring.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 That meant that part of what we harvested in the fall 鈥� was our own future.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It is that aspect of the harvest that so many of us have forgotten.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It's this that we must strive to remember.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Our future depends on it.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I am in the autumn of my Jubilee Year.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Although God alone will decide how much longer I draw breath, I know that I may not live to see another 50 harvests.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Yet, as I look at the 鈥渉arvest鈥� I am reaping now, I am filled with gratitude and hope. God has granted me increase. There will be enough to sustain my daughter and I through whatever winter is to come.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Should God grant me another spring 鈥� I know I will have good seed to sow.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 And should it be His will 鈥� I will reap a harvest to His glory.
