- Abundant and Safe Food Provided By US Farmers
The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. ~H.U. Westermayer
Since our move to Central California in 2006 I feel like we have gone through so much and so many changes. The timing of our relocation was the first major drop in milk pricing, teamed with high cost of production. We have had those highs and lows since then. In 2006 I had left my immediate family and lifelong friends. My kids were off to college and it was just Tony and I.
As I reflect during this Thanksgiving season I am grateful for my gratitude….meaning that when everything is “easy” you never really feel gratitude. It is often only during difficulty that you can appreciate the simple, most important things. You step out of yourself and reflect. It helps you to cope. You gain gratitude for health of mind and body. Gratitude for family and friends, old and new (I have met so many new and wonderful friends, for that I am grateful). You are grateful for the roof over your head and the food on your table.
As a third generation dairy farmer, I would never have thought that we would have to stand up and defend what we do and why we do it. I mean, isn’t it just common sense? The truth is as we took our consumers for granted. As they moved away from the rural, we just expected them to believe the misinformation being said about us and what we do. People with different agendas were speaking and we weren’t responding. I am grateful for social media. It gives me a platform to reconnect with the consumers and correct some wrongs.
I want people to make clear choices based on truth and facts. Our decisions regarding food should not be made based on guilt, social status and creative labeling.
When you have gratitude it does to leave room to be judgemental…
Most of us have not had pains of true hunger in our bellies…but there are many, many people that have! God bless them all!
Below I have enclosed a link on an article written regarding the division of food in the US. There are many blessed people in our nation that have many choices for their food. They have the money to afford them that luxury. For them I am so happy. I reach out to them to remember that there are so, so many that do not have that luxury. We must keep common sense with in our food production. We must be able in the US to provide enough food for our growing nation and world. #foodthanks
Divided We Eat
As more of us indulge our passion for local, organic delicacies, a growing number of Americans don’t have enough nutritious food to eat. How we can bridge the gap.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/22/what-food-says-about-class-in-america.html#
Gratitude is food for the soul! Great post Dairygoddess!
And to think, you and became dairy good friends through the Disaster of 2009 and Twitter! Happy Thanksgiving, Barbara.
Out of difficulties many blessings are born! I am glad we are friends! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! xxoo
You have a wonderful story to tell. Your move was at a very hard time in the dairy industry, particularly in California. It’s amazing how the holidays bring out all of these thoughts in us. Great post!