Fleeting

-
Photo Credit (c) 2017 L. M. R. Neas

 Rachel Carson said, "One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, 'What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?'" 

I thought of this yesterday, as my cousins and I were wandering through my gardens, soaked in unexpected sunshine, surrounded in sweet, summer, bird song. Standing in the middle of the lush, verdant, herb and rose scented yard, I thought to myself, "How glorious! How completely delicious this is!"

Later, as I sat scanning headlines, I realized just how endangered all this beauty is. The ozone layer keeps thinning. We keep polluting. The bees are dying. Entire species are disappearing. Those in power seem hellbent on destroying the fragile balance for greedy purposes. 

Disgusted and heartbroken, I turned off the computer. Immediately, I did what I always do in these times of trouble...lifted my heart to the Divine, praying for some miracle to stop the destruction of our Mother, Earth, asking for something to lift up in hope to others.

This morning, I was perusing a friend's Facebook page. She had posted an article that included this poem by Margaret Atwood that simply hit home.  

 The Moment 
by Margaret Atwood 

 The moment when, after many years
of hard work and a long voyage
you stand in the center of your room,
house, half-acre, square mile, island, country,
knowing at last how you got there,
and say, I own this,

is the same moment when the trees unloose
their soft arms from around you,
the birds take back their language,
the cliffs fissure and collapse,
the air moves back from you like a wave
and you can’t breathe.

No, they whisper. You own nothing.
You were a visitor, time after time
climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming.
We never belonged to you.
You never found us. 
It was always the other way round.

We do not own the Earth. We do not own Nature. The gifts that come from the earth, the water and the air are gifts for ALL who inhabit this planet - two-legged; four-legged; winged and finned. 

WE belong to the Earth. Let us give thanks for the gifts we find along the way. Let us remember that the care and protection of this world has been given to us. Let us pray for all those who are willing to set aside greed and power in order to protect and nurture. Let us all find the strength and the grace to be humbled by the beauty, the simplicity, the chaos and the fury of Nature. Let us give thanks and remember, we own nothing.

Blessings!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bible Sisters

-
Image
As a child, Bible stories fascinated me. I tried to imagine what it was like to live in times so long ago. Rarely, however, did I ever see any connection to what happened in ancient times with what was happening in my life. After all, my world was close to 2000 years older and far from the lands of Pharaohs and Roman invaders.  As I grew, I learned to see the lessons within Scripture. But, again, I found it difficult to connect to these men who battled giants or spoke eloquent words in the Temple. The only women I remember mentioned were few and far between. How I wished there was more for a woman to connect with in the Bible. A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of receiving a copy of Bible Sisters by Rev. Gennifer Benjamin Brooks in the mail. Bible Sisters is a 365-day devotional that includes the well-known women of the Bible (Eve, Sarah, Ruth, Rebecca, Mary, Martha...) as well as those we know little about and who often go unnamed like Hagar or the Widow of Zar...
Read more

Whispers

-
Image
Photo Credit: (c) 2018 Linda M. Rhinehart Neas When I was, as my mother would say, a wee sprout, I had my first experience with hearing that soft whisper that has warned me, inspired me, and on occasion, nagged me. Perhaps because I was raised in a household where being "fey" was looked at as normal, I never questioned that this was not real.  I can't tell you what the first thing I "heard" was, but I do remember talking to my mother about it when I was about six years old. We had had a lesson in school where sister had told the class about a saint who heard "the whispers of the angels." I asked Momma if that was who was speaking to me.  I still remember her looking very seriously into my eyes and saying, "Lindy, it might be angels, it might be what artists call the muse, or it might be what some people call, 'the voice of your ancestors or guides.' I don't know, but I do know you need to listen and pay attention to what you he...
Read more

Ministering Without a Church

-
Image
Over the past few days, several people have asked me where my church is.  Honestly, I stumble over answering this question.  My "church" is the world. But, when I say that, people take a step back and look at me with shock or suspicion.  When I answer that I don't have one, they apologize and begin listing all the churches they know looking for ministers. In reality, I am not a minister to one denomination or faith path, which means I do not have a pulpit from which I preach every Sunday.  I am an ordained interfaith/interspiritual minister.  Ministry within this context is far-reaching. Ministry literally means serving others. This may be accomplished through a community of like-minded individuals within the confines of a building, but "the church" is not a building.  The Church is the people that gather together. Therefore, my "church" is wherever people gather and are in need.  This may mean the mother who is exhausted from chasing toddlers...
Read more