My fingers are still a bit stained with the juice from huge, ripe strawberries...
About 30 adults and children from the Emmaus Way community and various friends spent the morning in Dunn, NC gleaning the last of the strawberries from a field about to be plowed under for the next planting. We picked about 500 lbs., the load of two pick-up trucks. The recipients of our efforts will be a home of senior citizens on marginal, fixed incomes in Louisburg and a couple of relief agencies in Durham.
It was a pleasure and a privilege to live out the Leviticus directive of gleaning with such a diverse community - the many kids present with us truly embraced this idea and many were far more skilled (or nimble I should say) in picking berries.
Of course we picked and bought many strawberries home, all promises of future margarita's, Jenny :), strawberry homemade ice cream (tomorrow at Emmaus Way's picnic on the deck at 9th St thanks to Mimi!!), pies and various desserts — a convicting and compelling juxtapostion of plenty (our plenty and the literally thousands and thousands of pounds of berries that rot on the vine) and the hunger of many around us.
A great morning...
I enjoyed gleaning and look forward to gleaning sweet potatoes in the fall with anyone who'd like to join us. It was a beautiful Saturday morning to spend in the field at Jeffries Strawberries in Bunn. The brilliant reds and greens of the strawberry plants were particularly vibrant. Despite the hard work of the gleaners, I was grieved by how many strawberries were still left on the plants after we filled the second truck with fresh fruit for two low-income communities in Durham. I reflected on how many more people could have benefitted from the ripe, healthy fruit if only ...
I'm reminded of the story of Jesus's turning the five loaves and two fish into enough food to feed 5,000 with 12 baskets of pieces left over. The "left overs" I've been taught are to represent God's bounty ... that God will always provide more than enough.
It's a leap of faith for me to grasp that in our individualistic society, that there will be more than enough for everyone who is hungry.
It's true that we started out with the expectation that in a few hours we'd glean a truckload of strawberries and in a short time, we'd picked enough for two truckloads and there was still "left overs."
I guess the blessing is more than for those who benefit from God's bountiful provision, in this case of strawberries. It's also for those who participate and witness the bounty.
I feel blessed!
Posted by: Mimi | Jun 16, 2005 at 05:03 PM