Originally Published a month after 9/11 

While the rains hold off, it is harvest time in the vineyards.  What is interesting is that the harvesting is not a uniform process.  Each vineyard is dealt with according to its own schedule as determined by the particular grower.

It also depends on the grape as to whether it is picked sooner or later in the harvest cycle.

The fact that there is no uniformity in gathering in the harvest serves to remind each of us that we each live in a unique rhythm in accordance with our own particular cycles.  For each of us the “harvest” is as different as the character and focus of our individual lives.

The harvest we celebrate is dependent on the values we live.  For some it is about specific accomplishments we have achieved in the past year.  For others it is milestones reached in our family lives.  It may be a change of job or locale.  Some of us have made some new friends or gotten involved in new projects that have led to new relationships. There may be particular lessons we have learned that have changed our priorities and perspectives.

For all of us the sense of harvest has been impacted by the events of September 11.  We appreciate our country and our freedoms in a whole new way. 

What is most important to acknowledge is that there is no right or wrong in what we celebrate.  It starts with the joy and thankfulness of being alive.  It continues with a renewed dedication to help others who need the help to vouchsafe their lives.

However the 2001 wine harvest is evaluated, the 2001 human harvest will doubtless be remembered for its extremes, at least in America.  Counteracting the shock and horror that has devastated our country is the renewed appreciation for community and the blessing of living in a country that cherishes human life above all else and reminds us to be steadfast in the vouchsafing of our freedom.

Here is “to life” in “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. 

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