In 1621, the Pilgrims sat down with the Native Americans to celebrate their first successful corn harvest and blessings of the past year. Historians believe this celebration actually occurred in September or October, and many believe the weather was mostly sunny and in the 60s. Thanksgiving looks a bit different now. Most Americans don’t think about the corn harvest when they sit down at their family tables, the celebration migrated to the fourth Thursday in November, and the weather in Ohio will be rainy and cold. But one thing has stayed consistent over the centuries-- gratitude and the celebration of our blessings.
I am not sure I have ever said this one when asked what I am grateful for, but I am actually grateful for Thanksgiving itself. All the productivity writers preach that if you don’t assign something to your calendar, you won’t ever accomplish the task. Thanksgiving gives us a day each year where we are forced to slow down and consider our blessings.
Our family Thanksgiving doesn’t differ much from the usual Thanksgiving. We have turkey and dressing, potatoes and corn, and everything that can be made into a casserole most certainly is; add the cream please! However, Thanksgiving also (hopefully) marks the end of harvest and gives us a reason to celebrate together. Our farmers are finally back home with us, and the long hours are hopefully in the rear-view mirror – at least until spring! The weather wasn’t ideal for harvest, leaving most of us with a few crops left in the fields, but the yields are good and so is the market prices, so there is plenty of reason to celebrate.
Speaking of celebration, the Cooperative has lots of reasons to celebrate this year. Every year since our inception, our business has grown. Our customer base has spread further and further from our tri-state area. More people recognize our brand and search directly for us. We have met several stellar people along the way and have had the privilege to collaborate on our love of agriculture. We were able to give back to our customers this year with a Customer Appreciation Day. The members of the cooperative feel more like family than business partners. Our crops were bountiful. Our children are becoming best friends. But most importantly, we are celebrating another year that we get to serve you!
My family has something extra special to celebrate. Last month we welcomed the arrival of our first child, Lucas. He is absolutely perfect, and we are very excited to celebrate this holiday season as a family of three. His arrival during harvest has been extra hard on our farmer as he puts in long days away from home, but today we get to slow down and enjoy each other’s company, and that is the greatest blessing of all.
We wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving and we hope you are able to find the blessings that have blanketed you and your family over the past year. Now let’s eat that Turkey! Never thought you would hear that out of a beef farmer’s mouth did ya.