A Thanksgiving Blessing
It wasn’t so long ago that clean water here was a miracle.
Driving through the back roads of eastern New York, where we’re headquartered, every other farmhouse has a hand pump out front. These days, they are used for gardening, or perhaps watering the chickens. But they hearken back to an era when water was a daily concern, and clean water wasn’t guaranteed.
This one belonged to our bookkeeper’s grandma…
That’s why, when I read this poem written by Thomas Frederick Young, the lines, “The crystal water in the wells, For us from springs hath flow'd,” jumped out at me. Writing in the early 1900’s, Young recognized the myriad blessings around him - including clean water. Farm life was hard, and raising one’s livelihood from the earth meant constant toil. Water tables rose and fell with the seasons, and one long dry spell could mean the difference between feast and famine.
“Thanksgiving Day,” by Thomas Frederick Young
This Thanksgiving, as you gather with your family and friends, I hope you have a moment amidst the hustle and bustle to pause and say thanks for the miracles in your life. Whether it’s a fruitful harvest, a roof over your head, surprise children home a few days early from college, or the simple joy of clean water from a tap, these blessings are what make life beautiful. And on behalf of our Friends on the other side of the world, who you’ve blessed with crystal water in the wells, I extend a special thank you – for loving them, supporting them, and giving them a gift of life like no other.
