I have always loved Thanksgiving from the time I was a child, I so looked forward to going to my good friends and family's house to have all the wonderful food and a great day of hanging out with friends. Now, that I am older and a farmer's wife there is more meaning to Thanksgiving than ever! The pilgrims that celebrated the first Thanksgiving were giving the glory to God for the crops that he provided for them. When I was younger that was just a history lesson more than anything, but now I know how they felt, how important it was to them to have a crop so that they could feed and care for their families. We rely on the crops in the same, that we need good crops to provide our food, clothing and all other necessities. This year the crops were not as good as we were hoping but God still has provided so much and we are not in want! My father-in-law has said many times that "if we fill our shovel and give to the Lord, that God will give back to us and God's shovel is much bigger than ours!" God is so good and has provided for us in so many ways just in this year, that we cannot even begin to make a list of all the things we can be thankful for! I praise the Lord for the wonderful family and friends that He has given to us to help us grow in Him and to love us and care for us when we need encouragement and wisdom. I hope you all have an Amazing Thanksgiving!!I found this poem in the High Plains Journal,
Lord, I am grateful that I am a farmer.
I am glad to live close to the earth that You have made.
I am happy to spend so much of my time in the open air,
under the bright sun,
the symbol of Your own justice and light.
I am grateful for the rain and for the freshness that it brings,
the rain, a symbol of Your rich and undying blessings.
I am happy to cooperate with You in Your work of continuous creation,
by growing the food that men need to sustain life.
By Your almighty power You make grow seeds I plant.
You fill the earth with minerals,
You send the rain and the sun,
the wind and the snow,
and the dry, hard seeds I plant are raised to soft green life.
You have given men great wisdom and cleverness to build machines
that make the labor of the farmer much less burdensome.
Dear Lord, I am in Your almighty hands.
I depend on You for everything.
If I sow the seed and cultivate the young plants,
and You do not see fit to give me a good harvest,
I will be satisfied.
You are the Lord and master and creator of all things.
You know what is good for me and what would do me harm.
I trust You, absolutely and without question.
I thank You again for calling me to a farmer's life.
I beg of You never let me forget its great advantages of closeness to You,
absolute trust and confidence in You,
and the fullness and richness of my life,
close to the earth that You have made
and have so marvelously blessed.
Lord, I am grateful that I am a farmer.
Amen -Author Unknown
I have learned over the years of being a farmer's wife that I can worry about the crops and if they are going to grow strong and provide for us what we need as long as I want but in the end I have worried for no reason! All the worry in the world will not make them grow better! I have learned that it is so important to do all that we can do to help them grow but most importantly give them to God and trust that He will provide for us!
