Bountiful Harvests - Share the Wealth

Colourful trees, plus cooler and shorter days are a sure sign autumn is upon us. Where I live, this means harvesting potatoes - 400 acres of them. You can read about this interesting process here. 

We started harvesting a few weeks ago, but then we got a lot of rain, and our soil doesn't dry quickly, so for two weeks our potato equipment was parked. Fortunately, we've had warmer, sunny days and were able to continue this week. Potato harvesting days are long, many times from 9 AM to around 9 PM or later, with many people from the other work areas of the colony pitching in. Yesterday evening I went to help. Standing at a conveyor and picking out dirt and small potatoes, is a nice change from my day job at our school.

We sometimes get visitors to help out as well. Yesterday a local banker came to help for a few hours, which has become somewhat of a tradition for him, as he comes one day every year. It seems he too, sometimes enjoys a change of scenery from time to time.

A few years ago we had a visitor from Nigeria, a place known for its poverty. He stood in awe at our huge potato shed, which at that point was just about full and exclaimed, "I've never seen so much food in one place in my entire life!" He was probably thinking about all the people he could feed back home.

We're so used to harvesting huge quantities of potatoes, wheat, barley, oats... that we seldom stop to think what it would look like for less fortunate people, if they'd get a chance to see our granaries and sheds full of food, like our friend from Nigeria.

There's a lot of need locally as well.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving or bow our heads in gratitude over our daily abundant tables, may we remember, while we enjoy fine dining, others are dying for lack of food. When we bring home another load of grain or potatoes, may we remember, one less load of wheat in our bin may not make a difference on our own table, but would mean everything to a hungry family. God did not bless us with bountiful harvests to keep it all for ourselves – share the wealth! It's true, there’s enough food in the world for everybody, it’s just not evenly divided. May our attitude of gratitude reach beyond our own circle, radiating love and compassion for fellow human beings in need everywhere.