A Year of Gratitude – July 16, 2024

My gratitude came to me while standing in the blistering sunshine and picking fresh raspberries. It was so hot and humid. It felt miserable to be standing in our berry patch, the sunniest spot in our garden.

Yet the longer I stood there, the more berry baskets I filled to the brim. Most of our berries are black raspberries this year, but I think about 20% of them are red this year.

Over the years, the black raspberries have crowded out the red. The canes that produce red berries have been less vigorous and more prone to withering from our increasing summer heat.

As I stood there, sweat running down my back, I thought about how fortunate I am to live on this land, to grow food for my family. It nourishes our bodies and my soul at the same time. It’s been such a gift to be able to produce food for our family table, to be connected to the meals that we eat in a way that connects us to the patch of earth that we call home.

I was glad to finish picking the harvest for the day because that meant I could head back inside the farmhouse. Penny Lane would be waiting for me and so would the window air conditioner. On a hot day like today, that gave me two more reasons for gratitude.

It was hot work, but it was worth it. Sure, I had scratches on my arms from the brambles on the raspberry canes. My fingers were stained with juice from the ripe berries I pulled from their stems. I didn’t mind at all because these berries will become something delicious to share with the people I love. I’m so lucky to have the chance to be here and to stand in this place, sunshine and all, to be a part of collecting our garden’s harvest and turning it into something delicious.

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.