I love good food. And at this time of year, I love the fresh ingredients that are readily available. Local produce is so much tastier and fresher than anything I can buy at the large grocery chains.  It’s economical too – I plug my cupboards and freezer full of homemade goodies like spaghetti sauce, salsa, pickled beets, cabbage rolls, soups, and chili.  My love of cooking has returned but it was a challenge preparing the grocery list for our Thanksgiving meal made with local ingredients like potatoes, cranberries, carrots, squash and parsnips.

I still get easily overwhelmed and thinking about all the ingredients for the main event and meals from leftovers was stressful. And if you follow my Facebook page, you’ll see I left out some of the Carnation milk from my Auntie’s recipe for pumpkin pie and had to improvise when I didn’t have sour cream for the make ahead mashed potatoes. I’m happy to report the meal was delicious anyway.

Since Covid, some of my favourite local farmers have struggled and some have disappeared.  I’m sure there’s many causes but finding workers is a huge problem both in Canada and the US. According to Trump File.org, between 85 and 90 percent of farm workers in the U.S. are foreign-born. It’s routinely said in both Canada and the US that these workers are “stealing our jobs”.

Let’s talk about that shall we? Migrant workers are doing the jobs no Canadian or American wants to do.  And if you think food prices are high now, just imagine if they are no longer employed in our countries.  “Only a fraction of our produce will ever leave the farms. The cost of fruits, vegetables, dairy, and the products made with them would skyrocket” according to TrumpFile.org.

I think it’s time to flip the script and be grateful that someone is willing to do that hot, hard, dirty work with long hours and little pay. Workers are separated from their family and way of life for months at a time. Some are living in squalid conditions and are exploited because they don’t have a voice.

I watched a CBC report earlier today that farmers are considering automation in response to the labour shortage. Don’t think that the enormous cost of those required machines will bring down food prices because they won’t.

The pandemic showed us many things like the need for an increased minimum wage, paid sick days, and yes, the importance of local food and farmers.  Canadians figured out that there are easier ways to make a living than these physically demanding low paying jobs. Have we forgotten those supply chain issues and empty shelves? I can’t speak for you but I don’t want to go hungry.

On Thanksgiving weekend, it’s really important to be thankful.  When I journal, there’s so much to be thankful for but for the past few months, my gratitude usually includes the bounty from our garden or the local farm.  The vegetables and fruits that nourish and sustain me are so important to burnout recovery and keep my family healthy.

But there’s much more to be grateful for in this great country of ours – I don’t know about you but I value democracy, free health care, the right to choose, our picturesque provinces, our laid back way of life, our reputation around the world as an accepting and peaceful nation. I’m grateful every day to be born here when others around the world would literally die for the opportunity.

I’m grateful for family and friends, a place to call home, some money in the bank, food on the table, and for each and every one of you, my dear readers.  I know your inbox is full (mine is) and yet you’ve chosen to subscribe to my blog and that means so much to me.  Thank you.

For those that haven’t yet subscribed, I promise to send only 1 email a week – well, unless I have more to say and write another blog post – and I think you see that I have a LOT of opinions about MOST EVERYTHING.

I think we all need a reminder from time to time that we have a lot to be grateful for.  There are politicians who use slogans and catchy phrases and love to tell us everything is broken but I disagree.  There are so many things we can celebrate each and every day.  I’m not saying life is easy because it’s not.  But I know that in spite of it all, we can find something to appreciate. 

I’ve learned that gratitude and abundance go hand in hand. When you’re thankful for everything you have, guess what happens?  There’s more to be grateful for!  Is my life how I want it to be right now?  Not at all but I’m grateful for this time to recover and reset. I choose to get better not bitter.

So, on this Thanksgiving Monday, I hope you enjoy time with the people you love and who love you back.  I also hope you take several moments to look around and give thanks for this wonderful place we call home. Happy Thanksgiving!

I’d love to hear from you. Please comment on any articles that you find meaningful. Or drop me a line.

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