Farmers and Paul Harvey

I was at a marching band competition a couple of weeks ago wherein a band from Washington performed a show celebrating farmers by integrating clips of the Paul Harvey commentary "So God Made a Farmer," and it was perfectly enchanting. Its wholesome truth struck a chord for me on a couple of levels. It got me thinking about food and talk radio.

Knowing that you have good food to put on the table for your family is invaluable. I'm thankful for the farmers and pickers and ranchers and butchers and truckers and store clerks and everyone from start to finish who helps make sure I'm able to feed my children. Being a city girl, I can hardly imagine having to kill my own food, gut it, and chop it up into usable parts to prepare for cooking. That might sound very sheltered because I have been, but that makes me all the more thankful for the people who have made this lifestyle possible. I have tried doing vegetable gardens at times, and I've done alright, but if we had to live off of what I can grow, we'd be in a sad state of affairs. My gratitude runs deep for what the food producers give us, the buying public, to keep living, growing, and enjoying so much delicious, nutritious food.

And as far as talk radio fits into this, I remember listening to Paul Harvey while driving here and there with my mother as I grew up. I remember feeling so good after learning the lesson he was conveying, the important slice of everyday life that he applied fine detail to thus adding importance. Being in the car, parked in the Sam's Town parking lot, waiting for I don't remember what or who, listening to Paul Harvey signing on or signing off for his "The Rest of the Story," I learned the importance of valuing a good story and that there are good stories all around us.

Food and farmers and Paul Harvey combine into a collective gem to remind me that God made a writer too, and I am thankful for being able to write about these things to express my gratitude. I'm thankful for the wonderful life I've had so far. I'm thankful for everyone who makes it possible.