A Year of Gratitude – September 15, 2024

I found my gratitude in the garden this morning. This time of year, it is the place I can count on finding something to be grateful for. Today, that gratitude carried me through the entire day.

I had just finished my morning round of farm chores. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear. The chickens were outside scratching about and enjoying their morning kitchen scraps. They were making their happy hen sounds.

I was in the kitchen garden which is adjacent to their coop and run. I was watching them and they were watching me. I picked all of the ripe tomatoes and filled a basket to the very top with beautiful slicing and cherry tomatoes. I grabbed some fresh herbs to add to the top of my basket and added the zucchini that was ready to be picked.

I had a bowl of slightly overripe tomatoes to share with the hens. I added in a few weeds and a handful of spent marigold blooms. They were very happy to see me at the door to their run, ready to share a few gifts from the garden with them.

I grabbed my basket of tomatoes and headed to the mud room door. Penny Lane was wagging her tail and waiting for me right inside.

About an hour later, I decided to prep a sheet pan of tomatoes I had picked a few days ago for freezing. They’ll be such a gift on a cold winter’s day when I can make something warm and comforting to serve at our family table and give us all a reminder that it won’t stay winter forever.

Tonight, I used a few of those tomatoes I picked this morning to make our dinner. It was simple and so delicious. We sat around the table and enjoyed every bite. The food was delicious, but it was the company that was really special.

And that’s how my gratitude carried through from an early morning harvest in the garden to the meal that brought my family together around the dinner table to enjoy something I made from tomatoes I grew in our garden on this patch of land we call home. It was a wonderful way to spend my day and I felt so lucky to have done so.

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.