Beauty All Around

Today, Charles and I took my car in for its 5,000-mile checkup in Seaside, California--on the Monterey Peninsula. The view of the farmland and the Pacific Ocean from the highway is breathtaking. As we sailed down the road I couldn't help but notice all the men and women picking crops to take to market for all of us to enjoy. Hundreds of people in sweat shirts and jeans were bent over picking artichokes, lettuce, strawberries and more. It is so easy to overlook such individuals when my usual contact with produce is in a large air-conditioned supermarket. But now that I live in an agricultural community I'm aware of what it takes to move a fruit or vegetable from seed to shelf. It's a lot of back-breaking work. I felt humbled and grateful as I watched these men and women, and said a prayer of thanksgiving for each one. I doubt I'll ever again purchase a watermelon or a sack of apples or a head of lettuce without considering what it took to bring it to me.