Harvest Moon Gratitudes Sun, 20th October, 2013
This past week has brought together thoughts of harvest time and gratitude for gifts received, culminating in Friday night's beautiful Harvest Moon. The week began with Canadian Thanksgiving which, rightly so, coincides with harvest time unlike the curiously timed American version. Last weekend I saw the corn harvest in progress in St. Charles County, some fields already bare with rows of corn stalk stubble, others still with full fields of leaning stalks, heavy with ripened ears, ready to be unburdened of their gifts.
The corn harvest will always have a special place in my heart thanks to my upbringing as the son, grandson and great grandson of Indiana corn farmers. At the time my father and mother were still farming, I was not old enough to be of any significant help, but the requirement for "all hands on deck" to bring in the harvest had my brother and me along for the ride. For those who don't know, the corn harvest leaves the fields not in ears of corn but with the grains already wrested from the cobs by the combine (harvesting machine). Even without romanticizing it, the technology of mechanized farming is an amazing site to behold: One minute the dried cornstalks are standing, the next, the golden kernels are flooding out of the pipe into the bed of the waiting truck, like a kitchen faucet opened full.
So we rode atop the load of grain in the bed of the truck, rather like sitting in sand at the beach I suppose, though at the time I'm not sure I'd ever seen anything as exotic as an ocean or a sandy beach. Our ocean was the endless expanse of cornfields and rich soil spread out before us. I'll always remember the sweet, dusty, earthy smell of it, with bits of chaff tickling our noses. I had almost forgotten.
Awash in these golden riches, the heart sings and one cannot help but give thanks for our many blessings. As is my custom, my gratitude always seems to come in the form of thankfulness for the people in my life—the many hands that come together to work and enjoy the fruits of our mutual labors. Last week my colleagues at work in New York, Toronto and Kochi, India all came together to complete our largest project of the year. And then last night, a host of dear friends and acquaintances in the St. Louis LGBT community came together at the Band Together concert in U City. The grand orchestral-quality band arrangements and mixed voice chorus of men and women brought forth a golden bounty of thrilling music. With both my work and my musical friends, the coming together of talented, committed people make magic happen.
In celebration of the Native American Harvest Moon, I'll leave you with this harvest prayer. May you find peace and gratitude this week for life's abundant gifts and remember to give yourself time from your toil to reflect on the gifts of the season.
Sioux Prayer: At Harvest Time
You, O God, are the Lord of the mountains and valleys. You are my mother and my father. You have given rain to make the corn grow, and sunshine to ripen it. Now in your strength the harvest begins.
I offer you the first morsels of the harvest. I know it is almost nothing compared with the abundance of the crop. But since you have provided the harvest, my gift to you is only a sign of what you have given to me.
You alone know how many suns and moons it will take to finish reaping. You alone know how heavy the crop will be. If I work too hard and too fast I forget about you, who gave me the harvest. So I will work steadily and slowly, remembering that each ear of corn is a priceless gift from you.
This past week has brought together thoughts of harvest time and gratitude for gifts received, culminating in Friday night's beautiful Harvest Moon. The week began with Canadian Thanksgiving which, rightly so, coincides with harvest time unlike the curiously timed American version. Last weekend I saw the corn harvest in progress in St. Charles County, some fields already bare with rows of corn stalk stubble, others still with full fields of leaning stalks, heavy with ripened ears, ready to be unburdened of their gifts.
The corn harvest will always have a special place in my heart thanks to my upbringing as the son, grandson and great grandson of Indiana corn farmers. At the time my father and mother were still farming, I was not old enough to be of any significant help, but the requirement for "all hands on deck" to bring in the harvest had my brother and me along for the ride. For those who don't know, the corn harvest leaves the fields not in ears of corn but with the grains already wrested from the cobs by the combine (harvesting machine). Even without romanticizing it, the technology of mechanized farming is an amazing site to behold: One minute the dried cornstalks are standing, the next, the golden kernels are flooding out of the pipe into the bed of the waiting truck, like a kitchen faucet opened full.
So we rode atop the load of grain in the bed of the truck, rather like sitting in sand at the beach I suppose, though at the time I'm not sure I'd ever seen anything as exotic as an ocean or a sandy beach. Our ocean was the endless expanse of cornfields and rich soil spread out before us. I'll always remember the sweet, dusty, earthy smell of it, with bits of chaff tickling our noses. I had almost forgotten.
Awash in these golden riches, the heart sings and one cannot help but give thanks for our many blessings. As is my custom, my gratitude always seems to come in the form of thankfulness for the people in my life—the many hands that come together to work and enjoy the fruits of our mutual labors. Last week my colleagues at work in New York, Toronto and Kochi, India all came together to complete our largest project of the year. And then last night, a host of dear friends and acquaintances in the St. Louis LGBT community came together at the Band Together concert in U City. The grand orchestral-quality band arrangements and mixed voice chorus of men and women brought forth a golden bounty of thrilling music. With both my work and my musical friends, the coming together of talented, committed people make magic happen.
In celebration of the Native American Harvest Moon, I'll leave you with this harvest prayer. May you find peace and gratitude this week for life's abundant gifts and remember to give yourself time from your toil to reflect on the gifts of the season.
Sioux Prayer: At Harvest Time
You, O God, are the Lord of the mountains and valleys. You are my mother and my father. You have given rain to make the corn grow, and sunshine to ripen it. Now in your strength the harvest begins.
I offer you the first morsels of the harvest. I know it is almost nothing compared with the abundance of the crop. But since you have provided the harvest, my gift to you is only a sign of what you have given to me.
You alone know how many suns and moons it will take to finish reaping. You alone know how heavy the crop will be. If I work too hard and too fast I forget about you, who gave me the harvest. So I will work steadily and slowly, remembering that each ear of corn is a priceless gift from you.
Image by George Hodan