Great Possessions & Small Blessings

Nearly 20 years ago, I picked up a copy of a book called Great Possessions, written by Old Order Amish farmer and naturalist David Kline. The book remains one of my most treasured possessions, always an arm's length from where I work. I turn to it for peace in a world too often riddled with strife and sorrow. David's book lifts my spirits and infuses me with hope.

Last year, when I was reading Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, who is a friend of David Kline, I realized that David is one of the editor-publishers of the Farming Magazine-People, Land, and Community. I looked for it on newsstands, but to no avail.

A couple of weeks ago, I received a wonderful e-mail from a woman named Emily, who is David's daughter and also works as an editor for Farming Magazine. Emily asked if I would like to write some pieces for them that would inspire children to garden. She mentioned that her young son Noah (also MY son's name) loved the hummingbirds in their garden last summer. So the piece I am illustrating and writing right now, "Small Blessings," is dedicated to her Noah, my Noah, and all the children whose lives will be touched and enriched by a garden and by the small miracles called hummingbirds.

Subscribe to Farming Magazine and you won't be disappointed. They do have articles relevant to farming; calf scours, farm almanac, horse logging, king corn, sustainable farming, Horse Progress days, but they also feature gardening, recipes, history, poetry, nature essays, and more soul food than one could ever digest in an evening of reading.

Subscription rates are $18.00 for one year, or even better, $32.00 for two years. To subscribe, click here or mail your check to:

Farming Magazine

P.O. Box 85

Mt. Hope, Ohio 44660

All blessings to you and yours,

Sharon