Trials, Tribulations and Thanks

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and our wish is that you may all celebrate the holiday season in a way that seems right to you and helps you to see the good things around you.

Tammy and I agree that Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday. To us, Thanksgiving is actually a 'literal' holiday.  We believe that we should spend some time giving thanks, even when it feels difficult and, perhaps, even impossible.  This Fall has been harder than usual for us.  Some of the issues might be of our own doing, some might be as a result of other forces and some just simply happened.  We are aware that everyone has their issues and we know our problems are nothing compared to so many other people out there who struggle just to get through each day.  I do not say this to belittle how we (or you) feel when we're down.  Instead, it is a reminder to me that I am not unique to having periods of difficulty and that I am blessed to be able to do something about so much of what faces me.

One of my traditions for Thanksgiving is to write statements of gratitude and I thought I would share some of them with you.

- I am frequently humbled by the many people who trust us to provide them with vegetables, poultry and eggs for their consumption.  In fact, we sometimes work so hard at trying to do the things we think are right and necessary to fulfill that trust that we may not be transmitting to you how honored we are to be able to work for you.  We give thanks for all of the fine people who support our farm by buying our products.  Thank you for being understanding when things don't go quite as we planned and thank you for telling us when you are pleased.  Those little nuggets are fuel that burns for days, weeks, months and years on our farm.

- Neither Tammy nor I are terribly comfortable with self-promotion - even though we find ourselves in a situation where we have to promote what we do in order to make sales for the farm or to advocate for other things that matter.  But, that's not going to stop me from saying good things about my spouse.  I know she doesn't think some of these things are a big deal - but I do.  We actually braved some of the Friday shopping madness in order to acquire some fleece that will be made into fleece blankets for the Wartburg Social Work Holiday Shoppe (local families with financial challenges are able to get gifts for their children at Christmas through this program).  Each year since she started at Wartburg, she and her students have tied several blankets to be given away.  This year, Tammy made sure to invite some students who were remaining on campus to join us for a full Thanksgiving dinner.  In addition to that, she cooked up a ham to take to a community dinner and made pumpkin muffins for students in her Wednesday classes.  This isn't a contest, she's not trying to win a prize.  She does this out of kindness and a desire to help make things better where she can.  I am proud of her and I am eternally grateful that she is willing to be my friend.

- Sometimes, we have the good fortune to get help on the farm.  Sometimes it is negotiated and sometimes it is offered with no strings attached.  Suffice it to say, there is a list of fine people for whom we give thanks on a regular basis.  Rather than list people and risk omission, I'll give a couple of examples without names.  When I walk by our Northeast asparagus patch, I remember help received to plant the crowns out there several years ago.  Each time I enter the new walk-in cooler, I think of the persons who worked hard to make that construction project happen.  I see the new plastic on our smaller high tunnel building and I am reminded of all of the great folks who came early in the morning to help.  I remember the time our old truck was crushed under a building and someone immediately loaned us a truck so we could make deliveries.  We cannot repay, we can only give thanks.

I am hopeful that you will all receive this email.  Recent email issues have made communication difficult with many emails sent to me apparently lost permanently in the ether.  Even so, I am grateful that we do have access to electronic communication.  And, I am also thankful that I have the ability to address problems we might be having.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Rob & Tammy Faux
Genuine Faux Farm