Gratitude

November 2025- edition 12

We began our monthly(ish) newsletter a year ago and we are thrilled that it has resonated with so many of you, especially in an age of shorter attention spans and AI generated writing. We realize some of the editions have been dense reads. Some topics require deep dives. This newsletter actually started as an exercise during Covid, when Kevin decided it would be important to track our progress in writing. Thank you to all who have followed along from the beginning, and welcome to those of you who are only just now joining.   

It can be difficult to carve out the time to focus on writing when there are animals to tend to, barrels to fill, bottles to label and deliveries to make but we love the time it affords us for reflection. We find the practice incredibly valuable. These newsletters give us a chance to formulate some of our thoughts more coherently, they often push us to do research, and they sometimes present us with new ideas for future newsletters. One such idea was to turn this edition over to you.  

For this November edition, we explore the theme of gratitude. We asked members of our amazing community — friends, customers, suppliers, farmers, artisans, elected officials — to share some of their gratitude wisdom. We hope you’ll come away from this read wiser and more grateful.

We asked a handful of people we deeply respect to weigh in on the theme of gratitude. We provided the following prompts and got a wonderful range of responses.

1. What are you grateful for?

2. Do you have any rituals or practices that ground you in gratitude?

Do you have any gratitude wisdom to share with others?

1) I am grateful for my loving community that has supported and loved me through my husband’s illness and death; especially those who didn’t know him.

2) My gratitude practice is based on telling those for whom I am grateful how much I love them every chance that I get. 

3) Don’t hold back. So many of us are raised to believe that gratitude=weakness. It’s simply not true. Showing gratitude, appreciation, and meeting people where they are helps to make a complete and purposeful life.

-Jacqui Rose

1) Deep knowing that we are not alone and we are all connected. In practice, a great majority of the humans that roam the Earth do not have this same awareness (I had inklings, but it took me roughly 4 decades to really understand it), but I have a deep gratitude for the way this deep knowing feels in my body and guides my everyday life. 

2) I have made it a practice in the past year that when someone crosses my mind, I immediately send them a message. It's often just a text or audio memo, sometimes an email or letter. But it's a simple practice that has had profound energetic ripples. I am free with what comes to me—maybe it's a song that reminded me of them, sharing a beloved memory, or even just a note to say how much they mean to me and why. You have the power to change someone's day. What a gift. 

3) While elaborate efforts can be so special, keep your eyes and heart open to the million little opportunities each and every day to give AND receive love and connection. It will change your world—and the reality of everyone around you. Magic. 

-Taylor Cocalis

Regarding practices that ground me in gratitude, having survived cancer three times, I try to give gratitude for my first few morning breaths every day when I wake up. It is a reminder that I am here, alive, and in service. I sometimes get caught up in the business of the day and forget to pause, but that initial moment is very grounding.

I am also deeply grateful for my family and for the lovely, growing community that we are so lucky to be a part of.

-Zev Eisenberg

I am grateful to live in such a beautiful place, with such good opportunities for community engagement, cultural events, and wonderful food.  A perfect place to live (except January—March!)  I am also grateful for the political engagement of my community.  To express my gratitude, I volunteer in the Kingston 3rd grade, which grounds my week and makes me feel useful.

-Ann Patty

Let’s see, here’s a nugget on how Callum and I count our blessings when shit goes sideways (minor or major, on a daily basis) 

“That sucks, but in the big picture, we are so fortunate, so lucky to have what we have and to be where we are”

-Jessica Tyler Bard  

Call it accidental gratitude, maybe?  I’ve never kept a regular gratitude ritual or practice.  But at some point this summer, it dawned on me that one of my favorite moments of every week was going to the Millerton farmer’s market on Saturday morning.  Visiting and revisiting with the same farmers and vendors, spending time at their stands talking about vegetable varietals, or dogs, or cooking.  Time slows down for that hour, and I leave feeling lifted and full.  It’s made me more aware and appreciative of the other pockets of slow happiness in my life.  So maybe stumble into your place of joy—call out that feeling to yourself and go out of your way to show thanks and support to those who make it possible.

-Raja Harb

My thoughts on gratitude will likely touch all questions. Easy answer, I am so grateful for my immediate family, extended family and so many beautiful friends.

For the last couple of years, when I open my eyes in the morning, before I'm truly awake, I look around and my heart fills with love and thanks for my wonderful husband, sweet pups and the life we built, and I think I'm the luckiest girl in the world! I try to hold onto that deep feeling of gratitude but many days the noise of life (shortcomings, chores, slights) gets in my head...but I try.

Funny thing about the word lucky. I never liked thinking of myself as lucky as that implied (to me at least) that whatever I achieved happened by chance; that it was out of my control; the hard work put into a job, a home or relationships was all luck.

As I have gotten older, I realize while I worked hard towards many goals, I really was lucky and for that I am so grateful.

Many are born to horrible circumstances beyond their control or something horrific happens and they never have a real chance.

I was born to the greatest parents ever! My Dad was a typical 50's Dad, worked hard as a traveling salesman, provided for the family, maintained the house, lawn, etc. My Mom was a woman before her time! She was an elementary school teacher who was devoted to us kids. They truly embraced the saying "life should be a series of daring adventures launched from a secure base."  We always had a safety net and for that I am and will always be deeply grateful ...but I was also lucky.

As we age, I think it is so important to be fluid with our gratefulness. Be grateful for our start in life, and the choices we made as well as for all the blessings we find along the way.

- Mary Benkart

I am grateful for my morning walking practice. Roads so quiet I walk in the middle balancing on the yellow line. I am grateful for Mother Nature’s parade of awe—tiny orange salamanders, hopping frogs, slow turtles, trotting turkeys, leaping deer, bobcats and bear! Walking to the morning chorus of birds, hooting owls, screeching hawks and honking geese. And rare moments of a quick hello or chat with a neighbor encountered along the way. ❣️

-Julibeth Corwin

I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve our community while knowing I can't do it alone. I'm grateful for being able to ask for help and for people who step up to help and be part of the solution. I'm grateful to have the capacity to be hopeful and to share that with others. When things seem to not work out the way I hoped they would, I'm grateful for new doors that open, even if it takes time for them to appear. I'm grateful for a good hug, even though I might not realize I need it. I'm grateful for role models who struggle and aren't perfect. And finally, I'm grateful for where we live, who our neighbors are and for the opportunity to reflect on what I'm grateful for today.

-Chris Drago

If I pause to ask myself what I'm grateful for, I'll be stuck all day: the list is endless. There are infinitely more reasons to feel gratitude than despair on even the darkest days.

Some days I'm thankful for grandparents who struck up the courage to leave desperate conditions in other parts of the world so that I could live in a better place. We'll see how that ultimately plays out, but for now, still a better place. Some days I'm thankful for a rock-steady mom who taught me to love being outdoors, read me the classics every night in bed, modeled compassion and right action, and supported me in pursuing my goals and dreams. Some days I'm thankful for nothing more than clear blue skies. Those white-out, wild-fire smoked days we've had far too many of, when a veil is drawn on the horizon and the canvas of clouds, colors and compositions is wiped blank, have made me appreciate an ordinary sky acutely.

I have so many rituals for grounding in gratitude! But my favorite is short and actionable: Coffee Outside. Anna Brones is a paper cut artist based in the Pacific Northwest whose work and ethos resonate hard with me. From her I've learned to take my piping hot mug outside first thing: no matter where in the world I am or what the weather is. Even if it's only for one minute. But to feel the elements, to observe the sky, to listen to that morning's edition of the news as nature—not humans—tell it. Not gonna lie: often the gratitude I feel is for the warm, dry house I can retreat back into! But it never fails to bring on a surge of gratitude that fuels my day. (Yeah, that's also the coffee :)

-Valerie Kathawala

We’re grateful for the people we see who help and take care of others. It can be tempting to focus on reports about the crankiest voices or the most obnoxious behavior. But we are encouraged by the many people who make time to do something to lend a hand or lift others up, whether that’s supporting a neighbor, volunteering to help complete strangers, or someone at work going beyond their job requirements with a simple act of kindness. We think small acts add up and inspire others. We’re thankful to see so many people around us helping the people around them.

-Amy Sanidas and Daniel Ames

Each day, I take a photo of something I’m thankful for and save it in a special folder. Sometimes I use these photos as prompts for my journal, and other times I share them to spark connection and positivity with others. This year I plan to make a physical photo album so I can share it with my son.

-Amy Sanidas

The practice that has had the most significant positive impact on our mental health these last few years is the act of savoring: taking a pause to deeply relish and pay attention to the details of a moment, to notice joy or beauty or wonder—or, if that's not possible, perhaps a small comfort—in the nuances of the everyday. 

Most mornings I begin my day making a cup of tea. The making is a ritual of its own, but the moment I stop to savor most often is once I'm sitting down holding my hands around the warmth of my mug of tea. It is comfort and ease and quiet and also the smell of milky loose leaf tea steeping, the heat from the hand-thrown ceramic mug, the view of the woods out my window, the exhale.     

We find that, without exception, it's not possible to savor without also feeling gratitude:
to my body, which has varying degrees of ability, but has offered me the capacity to be present for that particular moment; 
to my safety in my own home where I can close my eyes and find comfort;
to my circumstances which mean I can afford the tea, the stove, the mug, the milk, the seat, the time and the privilege of the home with woods outside my window and clean well water to drink;
to the natural world...for all the things, really...for the plants I brew, for the water, for the clay which formed the cup, for the solar energy which fuels the stove, for the neighbor's cows whose milk we drink, for the trees and sky and the air. There is no end to this gratitude.
to the community of people who grow the plants, who gifted me the tea, who care for the cows, who throw the pottery...

Perhaps we find savoring in a steaming hot shower, watching a bird's flight, making a cocktail, putting on a favorite sweater, lighting a candle, a cloud's passage, a tree's autumn color, a cat's purr, the first bite of dinner, opening a book, a dog's cold wet nose on our hand or listening to music.

For us, gratitude of some description follows savoring, and savoring is mindfully noticing joy in everyday moments. Linger here. 

-Michael Moran and Celia Gibson

I am grateful to live in a place as beautiful as the Hudson Valley. I’m grateful for friends who are becoming chosen family, for kind hearts, shared laughter, and the interactions that linger longer than expected. I’m grateful to Kevin for trying his damndest to get me to like gin (I’ll stick with Branchwater Rye!). I’m grateful for the pets who assume all furniture exists for them, and the wild animals who stay hidden when I take the dog out to pee at night before bedtime. And I’m grateful for health, movement, and the freedom to explore new places.

My daily practice is to pretend I’m sleeping while my partner takes the dog out in the morning. I use those minutes to have a little bit of me time to start the day. I always journal a few things that pop into my head for which I am grateful. Sometimes it’s deep, sometimes I’m just grateful for coffee.

Nature is where I find the most gratitude. And while I’m not winter’s biggest fan, I’ve come to appreciate it as a pause — a slower season that invites reflection (and patience). It’s easy to get swept up in the stress and noise of everyday life. Gratitude is what brings us back to what’s real, what’s meaningful, and what’s enough.

Gratitude doesn’t erase challenges. But it softens them and grounds us.

-Lara Gillett

1. I am grateful for amazing partnerships. My spouse is truly my partner in all things in life and has been through good, bad, boring, and exciting times. Work colleagues that are enabling rather than restricting. Friendships that are mutually supportive and honest. I’m grateful for my health, and the science that has helped keep me healthy, or pushed me to understand how to be healthy. Grateful for parents that understand the need to also be healthy and in-shape. Grateful for being able to look out of my window at the natural world. 

2. I do not do any "official" gratefulness practices. I do my best to practice kindness, and express thanks to people and try to go out of my way to support those that need it the most. 

3. I am not a religious person, but I do think there’s something to getting out what you put into the world. Invest in gratitude or kindness or good vibes or whatever whenever you can, and especially in times of wealth - financial, emotional, or other. This will serve you when you inevitably are on the other side and could use some help. 

-Jake Lewis

In this very uncertain, different world that we're currently living in, we're grateful for the abundant nature that surrounds us. The calm and peace that is around us. The big pastures, the farmland, the beautiful big sky with incredible sunsets and incredible sunrises, the wildlife, the many varieties of birds and most of all, the wonderful neighboring hamlets where many of our friends and partners live.

-Jill Jennings-Bagley & David Bagley

As I’ve grown older, I’ve become more and more grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to make choices in my life.  I think it’s unfortunately rare that a human gets to make choices and choose their own path in life.  So many people currently and historically are born into situations where they don’t have the ability to make choices.  Between forced labor, slavery, military service, illness, poverty, government oppressions, the course of most human’s lives are forced upon them.  

As far as I know I had nothing to do with the year I was born, the boundary lines I was born in between, the family I was born into.  That’s all a roll of the cosmic dice and I consider myself lucky and simultaneously have confusion about why so many people aren’t born with such a simple starting point in life.  I suppose I don’t know where to direct my gratitude, but I have it.

-Mike Yund

1. What are you grateful for? To be able to work outside. That my family & job are so intertwined. To be surrounded by beauty on a daily basis. 

2. Do you have any rituals or practices that ground you in gratitude? Literally laying down on the ground and feeling the earth—something my mom started doing with me when I was small, usually on a freshly plowed field. 

3. Do you have any gratitude wisdom to share with others? I find that stepping back in some way is always helpful so you can see the whole picture. Whether that means getting away for a bit or going for a walk with an aerial view?! Sometimes we're just too close to see it.

-Caroline Gilroy

You may have also noted two common threads in many of the gratitude shares above: nature and community. These are what we are most grateful for. Nature—whether immersed in it or simply admiring it from a window—reminds us that we belong here, and that our relationship with our environment requires nurturing and respect. Community does the same. Both truly have the power to heal and to unite. We have an abundance of both nature and community in the Hudson Valley, and we hope it can serve as a guiding light for other corners of the globe.

In gratitude,

Robin & Kevin

What We’ve Been Up to Lately

We hosted our final Fridays at the Farm of the 2025 season on Halloween. We served up tricks and treats alike. Thanks to all who have supported our FATF series. We are excited to bring it back next year, so be on the lookout for updates!

Thanks to all who attended our Navy Strength Gin release party on November 8th! We were joined by fellow makers Tenmile Distillery, Via Ravioli, Mimi Beaven and Maria Clarke and farmer Pierre from Overlook Farms brought his hot dog A-game along with grilled pork chops and chicken for a hungry crowd.

What We’ve Been Mixing up Lately

Cooler temps call for heftier cocktails and, at 57% ABV, our Navy Strength Gin is the perfect ingredient. Great in a Negroni or Martini and truly delicious in this wintry version of a Bijou:

Branchwater Bijou

1oz Branchwater Navy Strength Gin

1oz Green Chartreuse

1oz Sweet Vermouth (ours will be ready soon, we promise!)

2 dashes Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into chilled coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist

Looking ahead

Important dates to add to your calendar:

Saturday, December 6th - Branchwater will host our 4th annual Holiday Craft Fair at the farm. Support local artisans and offer meaningful gifts to the special people on your list this holiday season. Food and beverages will be available to warm bellies and hearts. (12-3pm)

Sunday, December 7th – Branchwater will participate in Churchtown Dairy’s Holiday Market, held in their Farm Store. There will also be horse wagon rides and goat walks. (12-4pm)

Thursday, December 11th – Branchwater will host Gift of Warmth - Slow Food Hudson Valley’s 2nd Annual Holiday Cookie Swap & Food Drive. For more details and to RSVP here (4-6pm)

Saturday, December 13th & Sunday, December 14th - Branchwater will be joining Stissing House for Craft Fest 2025. We hope to see you there!

Sunday, December 14th - We are excited to join up with other local beverage makers for Bevanda 2025, a sip & shop event at Via Ravioli in Coxsackie. Come sample our spirits and pick up a bottle or two while you stock up on some delicious winter carbs! (11am-3pm)