Category: Thanksgiving

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Giving Thanks in All Things

gregoryjoel

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday. We had a wonderful day with food, family, and Dallas Cowboys football, I normally have a little anxiety around family gatherings being the introvert that I am. My social battery tends to run low after a couple of hours, but this year it lasted from around two in the afternoon until after ten o’clock in the evening. I normally am worn out after being around people, even loved ones for so long. This year was different. I was tired, but happy to have spent our time together. Something special happened this year that been somewhat absent in the past.

One of my wife’s family traditions is to take time between Thanksgiving dinner and dessert to read a passage of scripture and go around the table and have each person tell what they are grateful for. I won’t go into details except to tell you that each of us found deeper appreciation for each other and the grace we’ve been given. This year the passage was from I Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live” (The Message Bible). Good advice to everyone no matter what their faith I’d say.

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

“Thank God No Matter What Happens”

No matter what happens. Most of us find it easy to be grateful when things are going well for us. It’s equally easy to take the good times for granted, but we’re going to focus on gratitude only here. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines gratitude as: “Gratitude noun – the state of being grateful.” When everything seems to be okay – the rent’s paid, there’s food on the table, we can afford a nice vacation or a new car – it’s easy to have a grateful state of mind, but what happens when tragedy strikes – the death of a loved one, unemployment, financial fear, the old car breaks down – and everything and everyone seems to be against us.

My youngest son, Jeremy, died in May of 2020. Let me be clear, I am not grateful for his death. It’s one of the most difficult things I’ve ever experienced. Parents who have lost a child know what I mean. The grief feels insurmountable and honestly, I don’t think it ever goes away. I still have moments when a song is played, I glance at one of his paintings, or my grandkids talk about how much they miss him when the sadness burst into my day and I feel as emotionally raw as the day I received the phone that he was gone. It’s a constant reminder of loss. It feels sacrilegious, or even hateful, to find gratitude in such a thing.

However, there’s immense gratitude for what happened after Jeremy died. God had placed all the people in my life that would help me walk through this tragedy. My friend and sponsor, Edgar, had lost his own son some twenty-two years earlier. He was the second person I called (the first was my wife) as I drove to my oldest granddaughter’s house to tell her the news. Over the following months he answered every phone call and walked me through the pain. He had been there before. He shared my pain and gave of himself to offer healing and hope during a dark time.

Moreover, two of our friend’s circle lost their sons as well, one to an opiate overdose like Jeremy. I could share with him the little experience I had. Helping others helps me. We were all there for one another – something I will be eternally grateful for.

Most recently, this last year has been one I don’t wish to repeat for a myriad of reasons. Funding cuts began in January. I had to lay off my staff. My paychecks were few and far between causing huge financial difficulty for both the farm and our personal finances.

In April, I blew my left knee out. Subsequent doctor appointments revealed that both knees were now bone on bone, a knee replacement was my last option, and pain became a daily issue. The farmers markets have been much slower, a reflection of a weakening economy, and sales have been down. In October, my Volunteer Coordinator quit suddenly with no explanation. After five years she had become a friend, and her loss was hurtful. I now had to give up Saturday morning markets to be there for volunteers already on the schedule. To make matters worse, my planned knee surgery fell through and it would be next November before I could again take time off for recovery. There were more than a few dark days for me. Why would anyone find gratitude in such a year?

I scaled back, took on only what I could handle, and we’ve had more volunteer groups than in past years. What wasn’t sold was donated to some great local organizations and we’ve still managed to keep moving forward. We still yielded produce totals like the year before with less land and labor. Funding has increased (we’re a non-profit farm) and new market opportunities have arisen to help us better meet our mission of improving food access for our neighbors. We saw new grants relieve the payroll anxiety thanks to Texas Health Community Hope and the North Texas Communities Foundation (more on that to come this week!) we are greeting the new year on a firm footing.

I’ve been able to let go of the hurt (it’s taken awhile) and disruption of (our Volunteer Coordinator) Stacey’s sudden departure and work with some amazing volunteers I’d been missing for the last few months. My knees still hurt but not like they were. Work is much more tolerable. A bit slower perhaps but that may be age over injury. Who’s to say?

I’m grateful for what this year has brought to me. I’m still out there every day doing the best I can and far better than expected. I’m able to keep moving and I’ve learned that my physical (and sometimes emotional) limits are not nearly as bad as I thought. I’m getting much better at thanking God “no matter what happens”.

It’s often simply a matter of perspective – whether one sees difficulty as a problem or as an opportunity. Living in a state of gratitude helps shift one’s perspective. Sometimes I only learn to be grateful looking back at how God had blessed and stood by me. One of my favorite quotes is from Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward “. Many times, I stumble through the dark times until I look back and see how I’ve been loved and cared for. I’m getting better staying in the moment…

There’s an abundance of studies and articles about the benefits of gratitude, but I choose a very simple definition: gratitude isn’t just a noun. The dictionary may not say it, but it’s a verb as well. It’s not just a state of mind, but an action word. Sometimes placing one foot in front of another is the simplest form of gratitude one can have. My prayer for us all is that we may truly come to “Thank God no matter what happens”.

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Thanksgiving Week!

gregoryjoel

It’s Thanksgiving week. The grandkids are out of school, the calendar is empty for the first time in several months, and the weather looks like we’ll have a “Fall feel” to Thanksgiving. It doesn’t mean the farm takes a break. Plants don’t take holidays. The farm may not take time off, but it does slow down a bit as we all do during the holidays. It rained last night so I got to sit down and write the Opal’s Picks column this morning. I’m so thankful for the rain we’ve had as I’m sure you are too. Nature’s way of irrigating is simply the best!

We spent last month planting cover crops for the winter – cereal rye and Austrian winter peas are our wintertime choices. Othe winter seed mixes are available but these two have worked best for us in North Texas. Cereal rye is great for increasing soil tilth and weed suppression. Austrian winter peas are fantastic at fixing nitrogen into the soil. They also provide excellent weed suppression in the Spring. They die off as it gets warmer and provide a think mat of decaying vegetation over the beds to smother out new weed growth until the beds are ready for new planting.

Photo by Capture Blinks on Pexels.com

We were fortunate to have a warm November, but we still need to prepare row covering for our winter crops. We’ve been busy setting hoops and row covering both (both insect cloth and frost cloth) for our larger crops. We always use floating row covers with insect cloth for our salad mixes and arugula and can easily add frost cloth when required.

The insect cloth limits pest issues, particularly with the Brassica plant family. Bogada bugs, of which Harlequin bugs are a part of, love brassicas. Infestations are worse in Fall and Spring, but fortunately, if they can’t see them, they tend not to eat them. The other thing that works well for us is planting a “trap crop”. We use Tokyo Bekana (Chinese cabbage) and leave it uncovered. The Bogada bugs tend to flock to it and leave our production beds alone.

We also take this opportunity to prepare our potato, onion, and tomato beds for Spring. We clean out the new potato and onion beds and cover them with black silage blankets to kill of the weeds. We prepare next year’s tomato beds with new compost and cover them with hay to help with water retention and weed suppression.

We hope you have a delightful holiday and a happy New Year. Don’t forget to put coverings, new tools, and seed on Santa’s list…

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The Shutdown May be Over but the Pain Is Not

gregoryjoel

“When people were hungry, Jesus didn’t say, “Now is that political or social?” He said, “I feed you.” Because the good news to a hungry person is bread.” – Desmond Tutu

In October of 2018 I shut down my business to work full-time as the Farm Manager for Opal’s Farm. I knew from my first meeting with Ms. Opal that the farm is where I was called to be, but the first time I saw the whole five acres tilled I wondered how I’d ever “eat the elephant” in front of me. Thanks to my dear friend and mentor, Charlie Blaylock, I didn’t have to. He told me to take one bite at a time, plant one row at a time, and do what I could do each day. If I did that the “elephant” would turn into a glorious farm.

Charlie was right. Nobody wanted to donate to a dream that first year, so money was scarce. All we had were donated tools, donated seeds, and one volunteer to help start our first acre (We love you, Brendan!). The two of us built beds, planted those donated seeds, and with help from the weather that year we had our first harvest on the first acre of Opal’s Farm. What started as a vision of what could be has become a reality over the last seven years. Ms. Opal reminds me that “we’ve done so much with so little for so long that we can do anything with nothing.”

Once we had something to show the funds started coming in slowly and we added more tools, equipment, and crops each season. More volunteers came to the farm and became valued members of the Opal’s Farm community. We were even able to add some paid farmhands (my back was celebrating!). We’ve been proud members of the Cowtown Farmers Market since 2019, hosted events and pop-up neighborhood markets, and opened our own Opal’s Farm Stand in 2024. We became an authorized Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP – retailer in 2023 and recently added the Double Up Bucks program this year thanks to Texas Health Community Hope and Double Up Texas.

The past ten months have seen many changes in the political and social climate we live and work in. It came to a head when the federal government came to a screeching halt for forty-three days while the Democrats and Republicans argued about policies and funding issues. On October 27th, SNAP Benefits halted to forty-two million Americans in addition to the many federal workers going without paychecks during the shutdown. Food insecurity and hunger became an even harsher reality for more low-income households, seniors, and children. People face tough choices – food or medicine and bills, – even if the shutdown has ended for now.

I have private opinions regarding the debacle but the bottom line for me is that food is neither political nor social in nature as so eloquently in the above Desmond Tutu quote. Food is a basic human right for everyone. It’s not whether one is Democrat or Republican, wealthy or poor, but for everyone. No one, especially our seniors and children, should have to go hungry.

Opal’s Farm is committed to helping those affected by the government shutdown through our farm stand at the Funkytown Mindful Market and the “Doc” Sessions Community Center. In partnership with @Sustainable Food Center (SFC), we are launching

Double Up Fresh Bucks / Dólares Frescos, a temporary program to support farmer sales

and food access for families at our market. 💚

Double Up Fresh Bucks / Dólares Frescos provides [$30 or market amount] worth of

market dollars for shoppers to buy any food or drink item.

Any market shopper affected by loss of services and/or income due to the government

shutdown can receive Double Up Fresh Bucks / Dólares Frescos. Double Up Fresh

Bucks / Dólares Frescos expire on December 31, 2025.

How to Participate:

1️⃣ Visit us at Funkytown Mindful Market (1201 Wesleyan St.) on the 1st Saturday of the month and at Opal’s Farm Stand (“Doc” Sessions Community Center 201 S. Sylvania) every other Saturday from 1pm to 3pm

2️⃣Ask to receive Double Up Fresh Bucks / Double Up Dólares Fresco

We’ll see you there!

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A Time For Reflection

gregoryjoel

Fall always seems to be a time of introspection for me. The weather gets cooler and although it’s really busy at the farm, I seem to naturally bend toward refection. I often wish I still had my staff to help out at the farm. I’ve been slowed this year by the aches and pains that accompany age and I feel way behind on so many things. However, there is an advantage to working solo. I can contemplate where I am at, the future, and grow in gratitude toward the God that has so richly blessed my life.

I just celebrated my eighth anniversary as the Farm Manager at Opal’s Farm. I’m so grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given to work for such a fantastic organization and serve our community in the most basic manner – growing healthy, organically grown food and creating access to that food to the communities that need it the most.

Fall is a great time for growing here in North Texas. Although we’ve had above-average temperatures for most of the last couple of months, we’re through the oppressive heat of Texas summers, and it’s the perfect weather for farming and gardening. It’s also a great time for reflection and begin planning for 2026.  As we look forward, I’m reminded of the importance of decision-making in line with our core values – resourceful, rooted, and resilient.

Resourceful – Opal’s defines resourceful as the intentional effort to restore resource to the land and the community. We use what is available in creative ways to leave a better community behind. Ms. Opal reminds me that “we’ve done so much with so little for so long that we can do anything with nothing”. We also rely on the community of farmers and volunteers that we’ve become a part of forcontinued learning and action.

Rooted – Staying true to your roots is an important aspect of community empowerment. Opal’s Farm believes in aligning its efforts with its surrounding community and tailoring those efforts to those it serves. To be aligned with our community requires the

open-mindedness and willingness to listen and act accordingly.

Resilience – To be resilient is to be tough, persevering, and brave. We are on journey that demands our attention, a commitment to action, and a dedication to create lasting impact. The political, economic, and environmental climate we find ourselves in demands adaptability.

While most businesses list honesty, integrity, service, and commitment to excellence as stated values, those go without saying for us and the local urban farming community you all are a part of. They’re part of our DNA. So, I needed the reminder that being resourceful, rooted, and resilient just as important as those values that are second-nature to Unity Unlimited, Inc.

The final thing that dictates everything we do is a deep sense of gratitude – grateful for the opportunity to do what we do and to be a part of the vibrant farming and local food community we’re a part of. As we enter the holiday season this month, we want to exercise extra thanksgiving for you all. May you all have a great Thanksgiving and success sin your farms and gardens!

Please remember as well that next Saturday, November 1st, is the 3rd Annual “High Strides Against Diabetes 5k and Walk” at Joppy Momma’s Farm in South Dallas. We are proud to co-host the run with Joppy Momma’s and celebrate Diabetes Awareness Month with the community. The Block Party will be great this year!

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Happy Thanksgiving! Let’s Make Thanks a Verb!

gregoryjoel

I would love to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Opal’s Farm. We are so grateful for our friends and family. We’ve been blessed with so many wonderful donors, volunteers, and supporters from all over Fort Worth and beyond that fill our days with joy and purpose. We love you all and hope that you are enjoying a day filled with family, friends, and food.

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Please remember your neighbors that aren’t able to have the same blessings. Reach out and call someone who may be spending Thanksgiving alone. Offer your homes and offer your companionship. Offer your table. We know for a fact that food brings everyone together in love and unity.

Please remember that not everyone will be enjoying a Thanksgiving meal today. Opal’s Farm wants to help end food insecurity in Fort Worth and insure that each of our neighbors can share a Thanksgiving meal. Please consider helping us help others through a donation today or on World Giving Day this Tuesday, December 3rd. Come be a part and share your blessing with everyone!

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seed you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson