Today
Health
Abode
Necessities and niceties
Kith and kin
This week, I am thankful for one final thing I'm thankful for, and that is the...
season
I'm thankful for each of the four seasons that distinctively divide our lives each year, each one segueing gracefully to the next just like clockwork. But I'm especially grateful for this season, when we can take time to reflect on the blessings we enjoy, and to be grateful for them.
The word itself is ancient, rooted in the idea of having a time of year for sowing, followed by the natural ripening and aging process, which creates sweetness and delicious and complex flavors in foods. Which is probably why it is also intertwined with a second meaning in modern usage; to flavor food with seasonings. The onset of the cool months are when we welcome the flavors and aromas of many delicious spices and herbs: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom play important roles in desserts and other sweet foods, while thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and peppers are indelibly linked to many savory foods we associate with this time of year.
Solomon was a truly wise man, and in Ecclesiastes he gave us timeless words of advice for putting everything in our lives into proper perspective:
The word itself is ancient, rooted in the idea of having a time of year for sowing, followed by the natural ripening and aging process, which creates sweetness and delicious and complex flavors in foods. Which is probably why it is also intertwined with a second meaning in modern usage; to flavor food with seasonings. The onset of the cool months are when we welcome the flavors and aromas of many delicious spices and herbs: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom play important roles in desserts and other sweet foods, while thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and peppers are indelibly linked to many savory foods we associate with this time of year.
Solomon was a truly wise man, and in Ecclesiastes he gave us timeless words of advice for putting everything in our lives into proper perspective:
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted"
This is the season of harvests and thankfulness and graciousness. I wish it lasted all year 'round, but maybe because it only comes once a year, it makes us appreciate it more.
'Tis the season. Not for giving gifts and decorating trees and cookies - not yet. But it is the season for welcoming friends and family, and sharing with them the customs, traditions and foods that have been passed down from past generations to us, and from us to our children.
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| nearby cotton field in late October |
In this and every season, may we all enjoy the day while it is called today, our own measure of health, our abodes, our many material blessings, and the rich blessings of friends and families.
Happy and blessed thanks-giving,
