Gratitude for Cliff Foster

                                                            Cliff Foster at his Belleville Market table 

This little light of mine I'm going to let it shine
Let it shine, all the time, let it shine

All around the neighborhood I'm going to let it shine
All around the neighborhood I'm going to let it shine
All around the neighborhood I'm going to let it shine
Let it shine, all the time, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm going to let it shine...

 Last week I saw the obituary for Cliff Foster, a wonderful man, a farmer from Prince Edward County. He was at the Belleville Farmers Market every week although last year he admitted that his aches and pains were becoming more restrictive. He was in his 90s, so hardly a shirker, but he wanted to be there. This year members of his team have been selling the various Fosterholme Farms produce, including maple syrup, and we heard that he just wasn't up to making the trip or standing. 

I first became aware of Cliff when he was a youngster -- well, his early 80s. I was told as the minister of Bridge St. UC, a tomato's throw from the market, that Cliff was a generous supporter of the meal ministries of the church. He gave produce or sold it at a reduced cost, and he'd paid for a dishwasher in the kitchen. 

It was touching to see that the request for donations in his memory to area food programs.Cliff was a decent. compassionate human being who touched the lives of many people through the course of decades. He let his light shine without fanfare and didn't hide it under a bushel. . 

Thank you Cliff.