Let Freedom Sing…
If we have ever talked in person you have likely heard me say, “It’s never too soon to start doing what you were put on this earth to do.”
This confuses some folks — especially those who know I will turn 76 this month. They wonder why I still work as hard as I do in our cidery at an age when most people have slowed down. They wonder why it is so important for me to be on hand at our cider Tasting Patio (opening April 4th, 2025), at the farmer’s markets even when I have to get up at 3:30 a.m. to set up on time, and at so many tasting events in Southwest Michigan and in Chicago.
For most of my life our culture has endeavored to make women in general and older women in particular invisible. I work hard in part to show the world that women, even an old woman like me, can run a successful, innovative cider business and make contributions to their community and their country.
Today there is also an effort to erase transgender individuals in America — the land of the free and the home of the brave. You can take the word transgender off government websites and remove the term from official documents, but you can never erase us. Brave transgender men and women, thousands of them, have fought valiantly for America’s freedom — yours and mine. They exist. Thousands of transgender adolescents and teenagers deserve the heath care they need and a chance to freely participate in society. They exist.
I exist. I work hard in our cidery to prove transgender persons are not freaks or weirdos, but simply people. People just like you. People who deserve to be treated with kindness and respect, just like you. People who want to live their lives freely and contribute to their country, just like you.
Most everyone assumes that what I do is make hard cider. It is true that I do make cider and love doing it, but that is not what I was put on earth to do. Cider is simply the medium that makes it possible for me to have the privilege of meeting, talking with and getting to know hundreds of people like you every year. I am so grateful for that privilege.
I hope to see you soon at our cider Tasting Patio here in Benton Harbor, the Farmer’s Markets in St. Joe and Kalamazoo or one of the various tasting events this spring and fall.
Let’s celebrate the land of the free and the home of the brave together over a glass of cider.
P.S. And not to worry. It’s not all work and no play… Mary and I do find time to have some fun together, too.
