rawmilkandrubberboots

“We fold our hands and softly say ‘Thank you for our food today’”.  This is something I have said three times a day every day of my entire life.  Solely for religious purposes, giving thanks for what we are about to consume to is practiced by almost all religious groups.  But there is another person (or persons) we should also be thanking.  Farmers.

How many times have you been already late for work or another appointment only to get stuck behind a big green tractor en route?  The majority of people, me included, will sigh, weave, and pass the tractor like the hare passing the tortoise—often honking or waving (impolitely) as we zoom by.  To get a good reflection of what it’s like to be the tortoise look up iTunes or somehow listen to “International Harvester” by Craig Morgan who in his song speaks of just that.

Have you ever thought about what that farmer has accomplished thus far at say 9:00 in the morning?  By that time he has probably punched in 5 hours of back-breaking labour, with another 10 (if he’s lucky) to follow.  Why?  Because you’re hungry!

Most of us (again including myself) have our blinders on when it comes to where our food comes from.  Again think of a time you waited in line at Starbucks or Tim Hortons almost twitching for some ‘liquid energy’.  We can barely spit out “LARGE DOUBLE DOUBLE” quick enough that we forget where the Double and Double (and what it goes in) comes from and the hours and hours it took to bring that to our hands. 

Or how about the big BBQ you had this summer when all your family and friends visited?  The food produced by the hardworking farmer in that tractor (that made you 10 minutes late) brought you closer to your family or helped you reminisce with an old friend.  HONK HONK….. great way to say thanks.

Next time you are standing in line for coffee, sparking up the ‘barbie’, or waiting in the drive-thru for your Whopper, Big Mac or bucket of chicken think of that farmer bobbing along in their tractor and what they endure on a daily basis so you have food in front of you, and reason to softly say “thank you for our food today”.

Amen.

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