...Let us be Truly Thankful

The season of abundance is upon us. We have 10 gallons of organic berries from Kristi and Brad's Coyote Grange (Appleton)- plus another gallon from our establishing berry bed. We are now "setting stores in" rather than drawing them down.

And we enjoy all-we-can-eat fresh strawberries for this one very week a year. Last night I made a strawberry shortcake. I ground wheat into fresh flour, cut in the Cass-Clay butter from our dairy farmer down the road, and sweetened with just a small amount of our honey. We ate the shortbread hot from the oven and the berries warm from the early summer sun. As my stoic people bit into that simple delight, they closed their eyes, sighed, and tears rolled down their faces. They were awash in a deep appreciation for all that this good earth has to offer and for each other. No one even had to give the ambiguous blessing of "for what we are about to receive, let us be truly thankful." They gazed out onto the prairie adoringly and turned to each other with kind words of love and gratitude.

It was my Babette's Feast and Like Water for Chocolate moment.

Ok. I made that up. But they did leave off watching the Twins Game for a few minutes in appreciation of a good dessert.