Accokeek Foundation
May 14, 20121 min
by Sky Harman, Farm Apprentice
My parents were homesteaders and founded communal farms in the ’60s and ’70s, at a time when the world felt, for them, as if it had reached a point of no return. They eventually returned to the “straight” world, seeking to make a difference among the larger society at the expense of some of their high ideals. I was born into this period of transition and witnessed few of those great efforts of their earlier lives. But I learned from them how to work hard, how to care for people, how to be self-reliant, and how to plant a seed.
Mom wants to be proud of what I am doing and how I live my life. I know it has been a challenge, at times, as I have made my way through life. As a boy and now as a man, what my mother thinks has not been at the forefront of my consciousness as I have struggled toward self-definition and sought right work, but I know that her values and passions have shaped who I have become. We both love nature. We both care deeply about the well-being of the people who touch our lives. We both want to make the world a better place, to join our voices in the chorus of humanity, and to sing without restraint or inhibition. For me, sustainable farming is like coming home to my parents’ house.