Earth Day at 50

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Earth, Earth Day, life, Mother Earth, psalm 8, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

On this 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, I could sit all day today looking at photos and videos from NASA or taking photos myself outside my house where forsythia like ours could light up the world with their brilliant yellow! I could take a short walk outside once every hour to feel the exhilaration of fresh air as I stepped out the door. I could take a break to praise God for the loveliness of the world each time the wind outside caught the sun peeking out and then running across my bedroom floor. I could (and plan to) transplant the beautiful cuttings of my Prayer Plant (That is her real name; look it up!) that I have been nurturing along for awhile or attend to my Christmas cactus that deserves a more spacious home.

In the midst of a serious crisis, it is always good to stop and remember what is still good about this life on Earth. Today, if we can do nothing more, we should at least give thanks for and to the Earth, our home. Raise your arms or at least your eyes to the expanse of Her. Bend your body in a bow or at least a nod to the wonder of Her. Sing a song or at least call to mind a line of praise – (Psalm 8, for example) in thanks to the One who made Her.

Celebrate Earth and then make a new or renewed commitment to care for her because She is, indeed, Mother to us all.

Advice from Mother Earth

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courage, lament, love, Mother Earth, Peace, preparedness, sorrow, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, unexpected

All the news over the past few days has been about mass shootings. As a nation, we still expect peace and are surprised by the ever more frequent attacks on groups of innocent victims. Each day it becomes more difficult to trust in a day ahead that will be peaceful. And yet…and yet we do. I am sitting here running through a list in my mind of the tasks to be done, determined not to forget anything that can’t wait another day. I do that without even a thought that violence could interrupt the flow of my day.

Where is the balance between trusting in life and preparedness for the unexpected? And how does one prepare for what is unknown? How would I react to a violent attack? There is good evidence, if one can believe the interviews with people who have just experienced such a situation, that courage mixes with fear in moments like that and usually triumphs. People help each other, care for the wounded, mourn those lost and are forever changed as part of a collective sorrow.

Yesterday we had three storms: torrential rain, thunder and lightning, wild wind. It was as if the earth were lamenting with us, for us, and cleansing the atmosphere for a new day. “We are all one,” Mother Earth seems to say. “Lament is necessary to our survival, but so is courage. Band together to help each other when the courage is demanded. Love each other at all times and you will be prepared for anything. Be at peace. In your hearts and in your homes, always be at peace!”

Glory Days

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blessings, communion, gladness, gratitude, humble, John Philip Newell, Mother Earth, Peace, Praying With the Earth, resilience, spring, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today promises to be the kind of day that makes me glad to live in New York State. The birds are singing, the sun is already doing its best to get us to 72 degrees Fahrenheit, the grass couldn’t be greener or more like a grand outdoor carpet while the flowers and flowering trees are stunning in their natural beauty. The grand unfolding of nature seems such an organic process that I tend to forget all that Mother Earth has been through over the past months: hurricanes, torrential rains, frozen rivers and lakes, destructive winds…

Picking up branches on our land yesterday and noticing the new configurations of those places damaged by the winter winds and water makes me grateful for their resilience. The silence as I walked and bent and cleared debris called me to a deeper place of communion with all that is natural to us and often missed in our busyness. I am grateful for the words of John Philip Newell to express my heart sense this morning:

May the deep blessings of earth be with us. May the fathomless soundings of seas surge in our soul. May the boundless stretches of the universe echo in our depths to open us to wonder, to strengthen us for love, to humble us with gratitude, that we may find ourselves in one another, that we may lose ourselves in gladness, that we may give ourselves to peace. (Praying with the Earth, p.20)

God’s Dwelling Place

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Creator, dwelling place, holiness, love, Mother Earth, Nan Merrill, psalm 93, Psalms for Praying, stewards, strength, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, universe

I found a lovely translation of the psalm for the day in Nan Merrill’s book, Psalms for Praying. The lectionary verses speak very well, I think, to the relationship between the Creator of the universe and God’s stewards – us. I offer it as a thought for the day and bow in humility at God’s generosity even as I am reminded of our responsibility for our Mother Earth.

The Almighty reigns adorned in majesty; the Creator is robed and girded with strength. Yes, the world is established and given into our care; our stewardship of the earth reflects our love for You – You, who are and ever shall be…That which you ordain is certain; holiness befits your house, our hearts, your dwelling place, O Beloved, for evermore. (Ps. 93: 1-2, 5)