As the wheat fields near my home were harvested this fall, I pondered the significance of the harvest spoken of in spiritual teachings over the past millennia. An ancient prophet on the American continent lamented the state that his people had fallen into. They had once been a delightsome people, but had abandoned God and Christ. At the time of his writing, they had become a loathsome, power hungry and a destructive people. He said that they were blown about like chaff before the wind.

I wondered what that meant, so decided to make this short video and a photo of chaff  blown in the wind. I think that it is easy for us to follow and attach onto things in life that are like chaff, that are easily blown to and fro with every new fad and thought.

On the other hand, the photo below capturing the wheat stalks shown up close lit from behind by the colorful sunset is interesting. A combine machine harvested the field and spit out chaff spraying it upon the ground, but the stalks stayed firmly rooted and upright. It seems that we need to latch onto those things in life that root us to firm foundations just like these stalks. The ancient prophet Mormon is one of those foundations for me.

The Photos

This shot was taken from a low angle with the colorful setting sun in the background. I like how the stalks represent firmness and an anchor even though the rest of the plant has been harvested buy heavy machinery.

In this shot we see the harvested rows of wheat plants. In the southern distance is the city of Logan, UT at dusk with its city lights just emerging.

I wondered what chaff flying through the air in front of an awakening night city might look like. In this shot the city landscape is captured with long shutter and the chaff is lit instantaneously by flash. Indeed chaff is blown easily in the wind.