Have you ever gone for a walk in nature and started down the path feeling a bit stressed and worried about something going on in your life? And then something incredible happened~during your walk you became hyper conscious and present. You were suddenly aware of the air moving in and out of your body and then a brilliant, joy filled emotion erupted inside of you, as you recognized beauty everywhere? That my dear friends and family is the magic and power of Mother Earth.
She balances our energy and heals us.
Sometime today I hope you take my hand and we will walk. We will walk and allow Mother Earth to fill us up with peace and joy.
And love.
Nothing more is needed on the earth right now.
And in thanks for the wonderful gifts and restorative powers our Mother Earth gives us… we will give her a gift too.
Today as our children packed their lunches, they consciously made choices to pack a zero waste lunch. They took left over vegetable casserole in their thermos, with a piece of my homemade sourdough bread. Each chose the fruit of their choice that was wrapped in it’s own container; an apple, an orange and for for recess they took some fresh raw veggies to munch on and one of my sourdough oatmeal cookies. (I am going to blog about the sourdough starter my sister J gave me…stay tuned) It’s not much, but thinking about what we throw away on our earth and limiting plastics and even items we think are recycled is a good start.
This evening, we are going to plant two more trees in our yard for our Earth Day celebration. A few weeks ago, my husband David and our son Will planted the first one, a new “Sweetheart,” cherry tree. Sadly, I think the severe heat dome that occurred in our area last summer was deadly for a few of our plants and trees and we lost our “Lapin,” cherry tree that our older son Mitchell planted in our backyard 13 years ago. Can it be that long ago now?
“The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.”
~John Ruskin~ (Art Critic, social thinker and philanthropist)
This week we found two trees that we wanted to plant in our yard. On the left is a “Hot Wings/Tartarian Maple,” and on the right is an “Ivory Silk Lilac.” Both trees grow to twenty to twenty five feet. Both are drought and cold tolerant and will be great shade trees. I’m excited as hummingbirds are drawn to lilacs!
I have to say that I’ve had moments of despair the past twelve months. And it wasn’t just over the Covid pandemic, although that didn’t help my mood. My thoughts have swirled around the state of our planet. Last year, when it was so hot in our Province and it felt like forest fires were burning everywhere, I wondered if it’s too late for us to move beyond the climate crisis. And now, as if we haven’t had enough to deal with, Russia has “chosen,” to wage a war on Ukraine. Russia is consciously destroying this beautiful country and cruelly killing its’ people. For what??? I will never understand. It makes me want to sit and weep. And often I do…..but I love this next quote as it always makes me feel hopeful. Keeps me going.
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
~Martin Luther King Jr.~ (Baptist Minister and Activist)
So today I will commune with nature. I will pray for peace and later, plant some trees. We will do what we can to care for Mother Earth. It’s all any of us can do.
We have so many projects we want to tackle this spring but today I’m going to head out into the sunshine and listen to Mother Earth.
Want to take my hand? Later, we can plant some trees.
“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think, the real miracle is…to walk on earth.”
~ Thich Nhat Hank~ (Monk and peace Activist)
Wherever you are today, may you walk in peace and wellness. Much love too!
Happy Earth Day!
Blessings from Hope