A Blessing of Hands

Lord, as we gather at this table,
we thank you for this food and the hands that prepared it.
We also thank you for hands we often forget:
those of the farmers who raised this food.
Bless the hands of farmers and farmworkers, Lord
-the calluses, the nicks and scrapes, the dirt on these hands.
Thank You for the know-how of these hands
to prepare, repair, test and harvest.
Encourage these impatient hands on rainy days when they itch to work.
And when their hands wring under financial strain,
direct them to hope in You.
Bless the hands of farmers, Lord. Amen.
-Diane Zaerr Brenneman, Parnell, Iowa