How can anyone who has driven in a rural area on these early autumn days not lift a prayer of gratitude for the harvest now well under way? Ocean beaches relax us, tall mountains inspire us, but the beauty and bounty of a field being harvested is a sight that we who live on the Midwest flatlands should claim as every bit as marvelous.

There are many “seasons” that have us staring at screens for hours — the new television season, the end of the baseball season, the start of football season, and this season of scandals in the news. We constantly check our phones for the latest on social media. But in this harvest season, we would do well to do a little less screen staring and take an occasional drive out into the country. Breathe deep. Ponder the life and faith lessons of the harvest. Pray for the safety of our farmers. And thank God for blessing us yet again. — Thomas J. Dermody