Some weeks ago, my husband and I attended the farm sale of a family member, brought about by the death of our brother-in-law last fall.
This was a many-generations family farming operation and some of the equipment reflected that past and the hard work of the tiller–the sower–the harvester. I touched that dry crumbly earth and thought of the many mouths one farmer feeds. A farmer really does feed the world with care and stewardship of all that God has entrusted to him. A farmer does so with such humility within his or her personality. This gift from God to a farmer is one a city girl cannot explain.
I honor the farmer of days past and the legacy they have left for others to carry forward. Remembering all that comes to each of us is a gift from God and we have been entrusted with its stewardship. This man loved the earth as so many do and fed the world as so many have and will for the future. I’m certain that my farmer left this earth better than he received it. Will we honor such a legacy with our own practices?
This message is excerpted from “A farm sale” by Syd Brinkman from the August 29, 2013, blog of the Women of the ELCA.
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