From the dawn of time, when God Almighty spoke the world and its bounty into existence, harvest season has been a blessed time of celebration. A good crop meant sustenance, life, and provision. On the other hand, a poor crop brought grave concerns. It could mean hungry bellies, unpaid taxes, and a second mortgage on the farm. Having fields to reap at all was cause enough to gather and rejoice with neighbors and friends.
That all began to shift in the 20th Century as farming became more automated and society less agrarian. Most of us think of our food supply as coming from the supermarket, rather than remembering it came from the field.
Harvest for us in the 21st century brings to mind pumpkin spice lattes, hay bales on the porch, and sweater weather. We have to work to grasp the weighty connotations of harvest that deeply resonated with previous generations.
I pray this month’s Write the Word takes us beyond a picturesque scene gracing the November issue of Southern Living. Allow your imagination to take you instead to sausage-making day in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods. The joy and delight of smoking the pork and making the sausage also resulted in having meat to last all through winter. Can you hear the squeals of delight as Laura and Mary play with a “balloon” made from a pig’s bladder?
A connection with the cycle of sowing and reaping will help our harvest verses resonate in a more profound and heart-stirring way this month.
Brew a cup of coffee (with pumpkin spice creamer, of course) and Write the Word with us!
Printable bookmarks for this month are available in two sizes:
Standard Bookmark - WTW: Harvest or Large-Print Bookmark - WTW: Harvest
[Editor’s note: Although there are only 30 days in November, we’ve intentionally included 31 daily verses on the bookmark, so those who may be joining us late can complete the journaling exercise during any month of the year.]
