Day 21. Ode to the Bountiful Harvest

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Here’s something to be grateful for at the end of another year – the bountiful harvest.

If you always have food on your plate, plenty of choices in the fridge, and a full, satiated belly, don’t take it for granted.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that about 795 million people of the 7.3 billion people in the world, or one in nine, were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2014-2016. It’s higher now with the pandemic!

Hunger must surely have been a grave concern and possible fact of life for many of the early American settlers who expressed gratitude for their celebratory meal held with their Indian friends on the first Thanksgiving Day.

Indeed, these pioneers likely did not take survival for granted, and in this country we’ve come a long way from that.

If you plan to enjoy the full menu of anticipated holiday favorites this December, then rejoice in the blessing of good food shared with family and friends.

Consider the Source of Your Food

Where does your food come from? Have you ever thought about this?

If you grow a backyard garden, then you know where at least some of your meals originate from.

If you purchase meats from a local farm, then you have greater awareness of where your food comes from than most others living in this country.

Feel blessed this year for the delicious, home cooked meal that will grace your holiday table and fill your belly past the point of comfort.

Give thanks for thick, succulent slices of carved meats – ham, turkey, roast beef.
Give thanks for buttery, savory stuffings, colorful trays of rich-tasting lasagna, heaping platters of herring and kielbasa, or whatever is the cherished Christmas meal in your family.
Then give thanks for Christmas cookies and latkes at Chanukkah!
Give thanks for delicious, home-baked pies… tart apple, savory pumpkin, coconut custard.

Many people who don’t normally say a blessing before sitting down to a meal, do so on Christmas.

Even if you’re not religious, consider why most of us rarely give a thought to the effort that was put into cultivating, harvesting and transporting our food from farm to table to plate.

Exercise: Ease Hunger for Another This Holiday Season

We can do so much more than simply clasp our hands and bow our heads in gratitude around the holiday table.

This holiday season, maybe you can make plans to donate cans of food to the needy at Christmas, and even just for the less fortunate to partake of a hot and nourishing meal any time this winter.

Most schools, churches and many other organizations run programs that allow you to drop off canned and packaged items to donate around the holidays.

If you want to take it even further, how about volunteering at a soup kitchen around the holidays?

If you don’t have a big family to celebrate with, this could be a wonderful way to share your giving spirit and make a difference for people in need.

Journal It.

Make a list of all the ways you can offer food to the hungry. Commit to a plan. Make it happen. Feeding the hungry is a way to nourish your own spirit.