Harvest Festival Feelings + Journal Prompts

Whilst I don't consider myself a member of a particular religion, I was raised as a Christian, attending Church of England schools and going to church fairly regularly. As an adult I would perhaps call myself a "spiritual agnostic" or something of the sort. But there are certain Christian services which I still attend, one of them being the Harvest Festival which in our small village was this weekend.

A woman carrying a small wooden crate full of freshly harvested vegetables from an allotment.

As many people in England will know, Lincolnshire (which is where I live) is a farming county. You can't get far without seeing crops or livestock in fields along the side of the road. And the farmers work long, hard days. The harvest festival isn't just about been thankful for the harvest, but also for the men and women who put their blood, sweat and tears into growing the produce.

On Friday I attended the school service and yesterday afternoon it was the service for the local community. We have a lovely little church nearby, a small congregation, and we all contribute towards a donation to a local food bank. From what I have seen, food banks are seriously stretched at the moment as more and more people struggle financially. These donations are literally life saving, and if you have a food bank near you and are able to donate even a few tins, it could make all the difference to someone else.

Now onto the "feelings" section of this Friday blog post.

This time last year my brother passed away. Just a few days ago was the one year anniversary. Last year, when I told my family I would be going to a church service, they asked me to have a word with God. And whether I believe or don't believe, I did. I sat quietly, listening to the service about how grateful we are for what we have been given and all I could think about was how bitter I was about what we had just lost.

I know I'm not the first person, and definitely not the last, to sit and give Him a good telling off. There was a lot of bad language. A lot of questions. A lot of wondering how this could possibly be fair. Tears were shed and I really struggled to stay for the entire service. Thankfully, I was with good friends who understood what I was going through.

Dark wood church pews with a blurred stain glass window lit up in the background.

This year is different. I have spent more time in our church the past year than I have the rest of my life combined. I help with the cleaning, the flowers, community events, and the gardening. I still won't say I'm a believer (I am more likely to celebrate Mabon than a Christian festival) but the work I have done at our local church has brought me more peace than I ever thought a place of worship could.

So this weekend I didn't give Him a telling off .

There was still a lot of emotion, a lot of things I struggle with around the loss of my brother, but with a year of grieving behind me I was much better able to appreciate the time I had with him and the fact that he is at peace wherever he may be. Rather than being full of anger I could happily join in with my friends singing the hymns I learnt at school as a child (still shocks them when I remember all the words) and be grateful for everything we still have here.

"Despite all the suffering and grief of the past year, I'd do it all over again. I realised that even though losing my brother was a terrible event, given the choice, I wouldn't have missed the chance to be his sister, even if I knew things would end this way."

T. J. Wray, Surviving the Death of a Sibling.

Staggered rows of lit tea candles used for prayers in a church/

Now I couldn't really mention Mabon without explaining a little. Mabon happens on the fall equinox, and is the time of year when the earth is balanced between summer and winter. It’s known as the pagan Thanksgiving, however people all around the world have celebrated the change of the seasons for thousands of years. It is the season of harvest and preparing ourselves for the winter ahead. For that reason many people also associate Mabon and the equinox with a good time to prepare for future success. And, as always when the seasons are changing, it is also a time to look back and reflect on the past season.

Here are some journal prompts perfect for this time of year:

Write about something unexpected you are grateful for.
Write about something you plan to leave behind in the past season.
What are your goals for the season ahead?
What is your most vivid childhood memory of autumn?
What is you favourite meal at this time of year? Why?
Research what foods are in season in your area and create a recipe.
Do you have any autumn traditions? These could be personal, family, or cultural.
How can you boost your mood this season?
How will you use this time to prepare for the upcoming winter?
Find a quote you like about Autumn and reflect on it.

A woman's hands holding a pen over an open journal, with a coffee cup and croissant to the side.

Thank you if you've made it this far. The idea of blogging is still a scary one for me, but something I plan to do more of in the future. I hope that the journal prompts have encouraged some reflection and some planning for the Autumn.

Bridie.

"Despite all the suffering and grief of the past year, I'd do it all over again. I realised that even though losing my brother was a terrible event, given the choice, I wouldn't have missed the chance to be his sister, even if I knew things would end this way."

T. J. Wray, Surviving the Death of a Sibling.

Comments