We all have our traditions in our family of what we will eat on Thanksgiving Day. In most American households turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy are inevitable, same with pie and ice cream. The other variety of sides always vary from house to house but a common theme always is that of the bountiful harvest produced over the growing season.

I used be a part of a Community Shared Agriculture(CSA) in Boston. I would love going every week to pick up my fresh produce grown by a local farmer. In June the strawberries were so sweet they melted into your mouth with an explosion of flavor. The month of August always showed the most in our weekly share, my favorite were the heirloom tomatoes in the many vibrant colors. I loved drizzling a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil on them. My mouth salivates just thinking about it. Of course with the fall season you saw so many different varieties of squash. As the months transitioned from one to the other there was a change in what you received. Not only was is different from month to month, but also year to year. One year the farm grew so many watermelons we would receive two or three a week. This last year the area was experiencing a drought, it was so bad one week they had to postpone pick-up because there was not enough ripened fruit.

Psalm 67:6 The land yields its harvest;God, our God, blesses us.

Life too resembles the changing seasons of harvest, sometimes you have more than you could ever expect and you start giving things away. Other times there is not enough water to make the fruit grow into plenty. That is when we might be faced with the decision to slow down the harvest of what we do yield in order to make it last through the drought. During both of these seasons of change we can find thanksgiving. Something that I have learned in my journey is that in the harsh times, even when life is not bountiful, we still have enough. Countless times I have seen that every bill got paid I first questioned how this would happen that month. I can testify to believing I did not have enough money to put gas in my car only to find a twenty dollar bill in unexpected places, like the sidewalk or the pocket of my coat. The thanksgiving we live becomes an unconventional ingredient in our lives when we believe God always provides what you need. No matter what the harvest yields it is more than enough, because all things are through him.

Philippians 4  12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.