05/30/2026
While looking through family photos for the recent Celebration of Life for my Aunt Janet, this picture captured my attention. It was likely taken by mother, since she is not in the photo. We are enjoying a family picnic in the area across the road from the farmhouse, which my grandmother referred to as “The Park”. It is a brief moment at a casual family gathering, and I keep thinking about it.
On the far left is Uncle Bill. Properly, he was my grandmother’s uncle, and thus my great-great-uncle. We would often play monopoly or checkers together (he let me make the rules), or we would have adventures playing in the creek as he tossed in pennies so I could find “treasure”. My grandparents are in the center of the photo, both of them with such beautiful smiles. This image captures the happiness I recall from them. Auntie & Uncle Lee sit to the right of the image. They are home from Saudi Arabia for a visit, which was always an absolute joy for me. I sit in my child’s size folding chair, lifting my cup to toast the world with all my youthful panache. The picture itself is a happy memory — but the bittersweet part is that I am the only one in this photo still in this world.
The legacy of my family informs everything that I do as a farmer. It meant so much to me to have abundant support from my friends and from Auntie’s friends as I prepared for her Celebration of Life at the farm. Elsa & Austin went above and beyond helping at the farm. Kaitlyn & Sydnie assisted me with the program. Pam, Billi, Jenna, and Kat helped with the refreshments. Emma, Maddie, and Connor helped me honor Auntie by speaking at the service in her honor. It was a memorial unlike any other, and a truly unique tribute to a one-of-a-kind woman. James Virgil the Lamb wore his tie, Benedict the Turkey kept showing off to the crowd, and Laura the Goat tried to eat the flowers. I hope Auntie would love that all the creatures of the farm wanted to be a part of her celebration!
I am so extraordinarily blessed to be surrounded by amazing people. I think Auntie would absolutely love that the Harrison Farm team all stepped up to honor her legacy, in the Hangar built by her father, on the farm where she was raised. Harrison Farm truly is a family farm, we just all have different last names.
