UUCMP First Reflection 3-2-25

Salinas Valley agricultural fields

Some of you know that I am a Worship Associate for UUCMP, my Church

I presented the following Reflections on March 2, 2025

The theme of this month is Trust.  The words of today are Consistent, Available, and Reliable.

People who are consistent are trusted. They can be depended on by others because of the quality of their work, or because they behave or perform in a similar way always. Whether it is by being punctual, delivering quality work or being consistent with their care create a sense of reliability.

Does that remind you of any one?

Yes, it reminds us of the agricultural workers that pick up our crops.  We can rely on fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, and nutritious food because they show up to work and do their jobs as expected of them. They perform quality and necessary work. They grow fruits and vegetables from seeds, pick them up when they are grown, clean them and take them to market. When I travel, I always know I am far from Salinas, because of the lack of flavor of the salad, the vegetables are not as fresh and what about their color.

At a talk by one of our County Supervisors I found out that ½ of our agricultural workers are undocumented.  What are we going to do if most of them are deported?  Yes, they are our neighbors, sometimes family, definitely people we have learned to know and love.  But what about the importance of their reliable, available and consistent work?  What about the dollars they earn, that they bring to market to buy their necessities? How will the consistency and prosperity of our economy be affected? According to the Monterey Weekly, the agricultural industry produces 12 billion dollars a year in Monterey County.  The Hospitality Industry brings in around 4 billion.  And who are the workers that make this merry-go-round run?

We feel sorry for their demise.  Shouldn’t we also feel sorry because the fruit of their labor and their earned dollars are not going to be available consistently in our economy? Who is going to pay the rent of their empty apartments? Who is going to buy their gas, clothes and food once they are gone? The labor force is gone – and so is the fruit of their labor.