Thanksgiving

I wonder what the difference between “thanking” and “giving thanks” is.  It’s a fair question this time of year.  Is it the balance between giving and receiving?  “Thank you for the gift” versus “here is my gift of thanks”.  This reminds me of a Billy Collins (former poet laureate) poem called “The Lanyard” in which the speaker is remembering his gift to his mother of a lanyard (look it up, I had to) made at camp:

“She gave me life, and milk from her breast,

And I gave her a lanyard…..”

“’Here are the thousands of meals,’ she said,

And here is clothing and good education,’

‘and here is your lanyard,’ I replied”

I’d like to give thanks to Billy Collins for that poem (“Here are my words, my life’s labor in poetry” he says, “and here is my thanks” I say).

So in this final week of the Tumbling Shoals Farm 2009 production season, I’d like to take this moment to give you my thanks.  No really, thank you for your smiling faces at farmers market that carry me through the crazy early mornings till noon, and thanks for your purchases which allow Tumbling Shoals Farm to continue in its existence and allows us to keep growing food, thanks for your encouraging words as we crept out of the camper into our new house, thanks for coming out to the farm on farm tour, for the tomato tasting, and to purchase produce.  Thank you for your support.

This Saturday we will be at BOTH Hickory downtown farmers’ market (7-ish to 1 pm) and Boone from 10am-2pm.  This marks the official end to our 2009 season since we skip town soon after.  I promise to pine away for you this winter and it will be your faces in my mind as I kick it back into gear in January.