Savor Your Biscuit

My Mom recently made contact with a cousin once removed that she did not know existed. That cousin sent her this photograph of the Currie family. There were eleven children, in this photo my grandfather was not born yet. The children are lined up in age order. My Mom started telling family stories and knew something about each Aunt and Uncle in this picture.

This photo reminded me that many, many, many people went before us in our lives. People that loved their families, worked hard, and built a life and future from which their ancestors like my generation and beyond are still living the benefits. These were very hard woking people, farmers who did whatever it took to keep things moving forward.

My Mom tells a story about one of the daughters fixing breakfast for the farm hands because their Mother was in bed having recently given birth to one of the children. The daughter was making the daily biscuits that would be eaten for breakfast and lunch. She stuck her head in the bedroom to ask her mother if one hundred and fifty biscuits was enough to feed the crew for the day? One hundred and fifty biscuits made by hand, and repeated each morning to keep the workers fed. I don’t think I have ever had to work that hard in a week let alone every day of my life. But the people in this photo knew no other kind of life and did whatever it took to keep the family and the farm going.

There are now three or four more generations of the Currie Clan. Their hard work and legacy of doing whatever it takes is still in our veins. Technology, ease of travel, and creature comforts have made our lives completely different than the ten children in this photo. We have cell phones, the internet, grocery stores that deliver food, and boxes that arrive with all the ingredients we need to make dinner. If we want a biscuit we can buy one already made at the store, bring it home and put it in the freezer until we want to eat it, or visit a drive through window and order as many as we want; we can even eat gluten free with no extra effort.

If nothing else, this photo reminds me to appreciate every blessing I have. The ease of my life, the ability to do what I want when I want. And it reminds me that someone long ago worked very hard to make a better future that I am now able to live as well. Tomorrow I plan to eat a biscuit that I did not make, simply because I can. And I bet it will be the best biscuit I have ever tasted. I encourage you to savor your biscuit as well!