One Blood

God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth. This hand-painted statement is affixed in our barn. It stems from Acts 17 in the new Testament, and first came to our attention through Berea College, where it serves as a cornerstone of values. The extensive and active dialogue in which this country is now engaged is reminding us of our commonality, above all, and how we are indeed of one blood.

Many responses flowed in from the last communication about the election. Most were supportive but a number clearly were not. It is from the latter that the learning began and strength is forged. One in particular stands out, from a nurse, who differed with the tenor of the message, and listed ten values which she holds dear. Nine of those would be identical to my own. She asked to "unsubscribe" to the newsletter. I asked if she would stay with us, instead, as we need her point of view to make our way through the fear. She graciously and magnanimously consented.., and we thus touched. It is such touching that reminds us how similar we are. Our differences lie at the margin and our similarities at the heart. I am personally very grateful to the nurse, and genuinely look forward to connecting with her and knowing her better. We are much alike.

Such connection is transpiring across the country. American has not been this alive with discourse since the 1960's. Democracy is bubbling with engagement, through which new strength is already arising. This election has blazed a path, of the people, which thus holds much promise. Many of us are migrating from fear to faith, and that augers well.

Not only does the Bible advocate forging connections, but so does Nature. All species depend on each other and are interconnected. Diversity creates stability, sustainability, beauty, and neighborliness, as witnessed in the picture above. It is when diversity in the neighborhood is reduced that Nature is vulnerable to deterioration, like erosion or invasive species.

In these pictures, hogs are foraging at the edge of pastures. They are opening up fescue-sod, allowing new species, from the latent seed-bank in the soil, to germinate. These new seedlings bring different minerals to the surface, thus augmenting and improving the nutritional profile of grass for the grazers - sheep, cattle, and hogs. Without impact from hogs, we have less diversity of species in our pastures. With their impact, we generate a richer nutritional base for the animals and thus for people consuming their meat. Diversity is a key principle in Nature, from which humans always benefit.

Above are ribeyes on the grill, then served with a bacon omelette. The beef is from a 5-year-old cow, and is some of the best we have had.

We are grateful for our common blood.