gleaning

The oft-quoted Mother Theresa once said "it's not how much you do, but how much love you put into the doing that matters." I've always loved that thought because it empowers you to do what you can, where you can, with what you have and, really, how hard can that be?!? It gives credence to the smallest of efforts and reminds us that the little things have their very own special import and meaning. Yesterday, with a desire to relieve some of the suffering in our own community, we headed out with a group of friends to do a little thing with a whole lotta love.

Bundled up in our motley winter attire, we made our way to an organic family farm just north of town to glean vegetables from the fields to be distributed to the poor and hungry. Under threatening skies (which eventually unleashed their rainy wrath upon us), we wrested perfectly round heads of cabbage from their leafy stalks and filled boxes upon boxes with a brightly-colored assortment of squash and pumpkins. When all was said and done, over 12,000 pounds of food was collected in several hours time. See how remarkable it is when the 'little thing' becomes the 'big thing'? I was also reminded that there is something uniquely satisfying about having such a direct physical connection to our food source. To see, to pick and to taste fresh produce in it's original state, still clinging to the vine, is it's own beautiful thing, but to do all that while providing sustenance for others gives the experience an even deeper dimension. As those boxes became more heavy-laden with the abundance of this season's yield, our hearts became adversely lighter, knowing that it meant fewer people in our community would go to bed hungry this Fall.

Giving thanks for every delicious morsel on my plate today.

xo,

{moi}