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Looking back to the future

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Life is something that we should cherish with every passing breath. Often times we do not appreciate the simplest things like the feel of cool breeze on a hot summer day; the taste of a fresh glass of homemade lemonade so cold that the outside of the glass drips; the deep red color of a vine-ripened tomato as its thinly sliced for a tomato sandwich slightly smeared with JFG mayonnaise.
This morning I have pondered along with some of my friends what common ground there is between the generations of Americans that now bind us as a people. At one time it was our country’s deep agricultural heritage, the connection to the soil and what through sweat and hard work it could provide for both the sustenance and financial gain of the family.
Generations of Americans even those that lived in the cities, depended upon family farms to provide what our country needed to survive. In my lifetime, we have seen much of farming shift to larger business concerns and there has been a generation, possibly two, of individuals which have no close connection to the land, they didn’t grow up on the farm or even spend days helping their grandparents haul hay, cut okra, pick tomatoes or pull corn.
So, what does this mean for the future of our country, for the preservation of our lifestyle and the heritage of our communities? Are we destined to one-day build museums dedicated to the preservation of subdivisions? What values of history are we giving the current generation? Will they look back at a tractor and ask, “What’s that?”
With generations of Americans who have little or no practical daily connection to the land, how will they sustain themselves in an emergency such as a worldwide medical pandemic sometimes heralded by the media? What happens when milk can no longer be sent from the far-off mega-farms of the west? I bet there aren’t many households that have shelves lined with canned goods enough to get the family through to the next growing season, as was our ancestors’ custom. What will happen to a generation with no food because there will be no way to move it from place to place?
During the worst period in this country’s history, the Great Depression, even the poorest farmer, who was not devastated by natural disaster, had some amount of food to eat. Thousands of people who lived in the cities were able to receive food in soup lines because many farmers were able to keep working the land and caring people were willing to help those in need. They all had a connection to the land.
If our state, our county, our community was totally cut off from the outside world could we survive? Do we have a plan in place to feed and meet the needs of our population? Could we create the items needed for day-to-day life? Do we have the people who have the knowledge to do that?
While I’ll say that I believe that many leaders have considered the possibility, I do not think that we have a plan in place that could keep our state or county functioning on its own. It will take a joint effort at a local level, community to community, neighbor to neighbor, to see that each family or person makes it through in such a situation.
Will America ever face some catastrophe that will throw us backwards in time wishing that we had a few acres to plant potatoes and a milk cow to provide some milk and a horse to ride to town? I don’t know but even if it didn’t, it probably wouldn’t hurt if everybody knew how to dig taters, which part of the cow the milk comes from and how to get it to come out and just how do you get the key in a horse’s ignition and more important where are the brakes on one of them things. Just kidding, of course I know where the brakes are.
Do I have the answers as to what the future will be like, of course not, that is only in the Hands of God. Do I have a hope as to what I would like it to be? I certainly do.
I see an America that is covered with strong communities of caring and loving individuals who give their neighbors a helping hand when its needed. They go out of their way to help pick up a man when he is down, brush him off and help him along life’s road.
I see an America where greed and crime is something that exists only in the minds of creative novelists and film directors instead of the eyes our fellow man. I see an America where you make choices that are good for all the people not just a chosen few. I see an America where when a leader actually stands up and says something he or she actually believes rather than what the public wants to hear. Where his or her words of inspiration can actually mobilize this country towards a common good of creating a world that will be something our future generations can build from rather than have to pay for.
I see an America where each community is capable of standing on its own using the talents of its citizenry and the abilities of its businesses and industries no matter what the country as a whole may have to withstand in its future.
My friends the future of America is up to each one of us, its not just the job of Washington, Atlanta, Chattanooga, the guy next door, its not just the job of the woman down the street, it takes each of us working every single day improving our community as a whole by stepping outside our comfort zones and reaching out to make a difference.
It is up to us to have our own lives prepared for emergencies and to work with our local leaders to make sure that plans are in place. It is only through preparation that we as individuals or communities can reach out and help others, secure in the knowledge that our own families and communities are safe and adequate supplies are available to meet the needs at home.
Will this generation and those that follow be less because they are further removed from America’s roots? I think as long as our society continues to head in the same direction, each generation will make their way into the brave new world but it’s the what ifs that sometime worry me and make me thankful that God is in control. But even with God’s control, He expects all of us to do our part. Perhaps getting closer to and understanding the role that the land plays in our lives and making sure that that role never vanishes might be one way we can improve our little corner of the world.

You reap what you sow

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The warm air, a slight breeze, sunshine shining on my face, are all things that raise my spirits as we set off through another spring season.
As a boy, this time of year was set aside for preparing and planting our family garden. I will never forget one year in some reading I had found some guidance to enhance our tomato crop by planting them in old tires. The reservoir created then helped to keep them well fed with water throughout the season. With the passage of time, I do not recall whether the experiment brought much success to the process for the couple of years I used those. I do however remember the effort required to bury those tires and then in subsequent years to dig them back up as I transitioned to another approach.
Needless to say, I was an industrious gardener as a kid. When I started the garden, I dug out the around two feet removing huge granite rocks and the filling the area with good soil. I prepared a seasonal compost system that kept the area each season refreshed with needed materials to break down and enhance the soil. I put in fencing to protect them from my rambunctious dog.
Most of the standards – green beans, squash, tomatoes, rhubarb, okra, peppers, cucumbers and a few melons were the crop. In banner years, enough was harvested to can and keep us fed for a while. I enjoyed the gardening in that I felt I was being productive and giving back to the upkeep of our family especially before I was old enough to get a regular job.
One of my favorite years was when the weather was weird on down into the fall and much of what I had planted had peaked and began to die. I had yet to clear the garden for winter and the weather got warm again for a couple of months, many of the plants revived and yielded another crop by Thanksgiving. It is amazing what God allows nature to provide.
I know many of you garden and some farm. Our family has done both, although I have not planted something to eat in 15 years. But this year, once again, I felt the need to dig in the dirt and try to bring forth something productive that hopefully may sustain me a bit in the coming months. Of course, this year, the crop will cost a bit more as I have had to develop a new garden spot. However, thus far just the action of preparing the spot, mixing the soil has given me a great sense of accomplishment. As the seedlings come forth and hopefully bear edibles throughout the year, I know I will have a new sense of joy that will empower my spirit.
Fresh vegetables, fresh herbs and a few melons are my hope and maybe a new connection to God’s creation that I have not sensed within my soul in quite a while.
Sadly, I fear that rising food prices are ahead, and possibly some items not being as readily available with rising shipping costs. It may be a good idea for everyone to plant a few of your favorites. Dig out that old canning equipment from mom or grandma that you put in the basement, and store back some food supplies for you and your loved ones.
There is a saying “You reap what you sow.” It usually has a foreboding tone in relation to getting your just deserts for something bad you have done. In this case though, I wish you all reap a great bounty should you decide to sow this season!