The power of the soil taught me to see the possibilities before me.

Growing up on a hard working farm revealed many bits of life to me. Some of those bits of life were not pleasant, but overall, we walked on the source of our possibilities everyday. That source was the soil under our feet. It must be noted that I wasn’t noticing that specialness for many years. Yes, we worked the soil to prepare for our crops, and kept our fingers crossed that the weather would work in harmony with that black soil to produce a good harvest. Unknown to me at the time was a message being constantly repeated. That message was that, we as a family, as the earth and the climate, could do this together.

Along the way, the lesson repeated itself many times. For me, playing sports wasn’t about winning a championship as much as it was about working together as a team to accomplish a task. The soil lesson took root.

In public school, one of my classmates was a little different than the rest of us. He was bullied on the playground because of his appearance, and one day during noon break, my classmates and I stood up to the bullies. We told them to stop harassing our friend, and that harassing him meant we all were being bullied. To my knowledge, that bullying never happened again. I can recall my classmates saying that we can stop that negativity by standing together.

Whatever type of service you provide to someone, don’t minimize it. Helping those in need is vital to all of us. It may be as little as helping someone carry their groceries to their car, but in service measurement, it’s a big thing. Personal service to others is a virtue and a necessity. We can do this together.

A few years ago I helped organize a multicultural event. The event was to remind everyone that we are all the same, but, also different. That difference was revealed by cultural dress, music, dancing, games, food and stories from across the many cultures. The program included wonderful activities from the attending Somali, Hmong, Karen, Latino, Dutch, Norwegian, Irish and Indigenous people. The colorful event was amazing! When it was first proposed, some folks weren’t sure we could accomplish it. However, with everyone shouldering some of the responsibility, we did it together.

How about stopping for a minute while you are sipping your favorite wine? Try to envision the dream of someone to make that wine. The passion to get the acreage (Back to that soil again!), to purchase the needed root stock, plant it, nourish it, to harvest the grapes, press and process a remarkable product is awe inspiring. It proves, once again, we can do this together.

While on the wine spiel, I suggest you try two very delicious wines. First, a nice soft Granacha by Campo Vioja. This Spanish Rioja product is marvelous and pairs with many foods. If you would rather have a white wine, try Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Dry Riesling. Produced in the Columbia Valley of Washington state, the wine is crisp, slightly citrusy with a quick dry finish. It goes well with good cheeses and many desserts.

In today’s world, we need to come together for the public good. By not allowing our democracy to bow to non-democratic movements, we will learn to live together in respect, peace and hope.

Together we can do this…

May we all come together.

As always, eat and drink in moderation, but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!