earthday/birthday

every year on April 22 i have two reasons to celebrate. along with many of our fellow inhabitants i celebrate and give thanks for our beloved planet. on a more personal level i have the unlimited joy of celebrating the birth of my beautiful daughter. Gretchen was born on April 22, 1971, the first celebrated earth day. i am grateful to have her in my life and for everything she has done to make my life a happier one. i truly admire the woman Gretchen has become. i enjoy having her to share things with. if i need a shoulder i can count on her to listen carefully and respond with wisdom beyond her years. if i have good news she celebrates with me. she very simply is the brightest blessing in my life.



today we at nature's gift celebrated earth day by hanging flower baskets and tending to our pots out back. we planted pink geraniums and purple petunias. later we will add a rosemary plant, and maybe another herb or two. the herbs from last year died across the winter except for the st. john's wort. affectionatly known as "st. johnny", he thinned down during the dark season, but we expect him to be picking up real soon. johnny got a good haircut today and is looking quite spiffy in time for new growth.

please indulge me as i add a word regarding our mother. all we have, all we need and all that we are originates with our mother earth. on the other side everything we don't need returns to the earth as well. to our disgrace we have been less than dilligent in honoring earth for all the blessings she has provided. on the contrary, it's as though we create open wounds in her, insert the most horrendous materials that she can never absorb, cover the wound with a band-aid and forget it.

thankfully, it has gotten much easier to recycle, and it is great that so many have had the inititive to take that first step towards liberating the earth from our misuse. but to heal earth's wounds and re-create an acceptable balance will take more than recycling alone. because we have neglected our duty for so long extreme measures must be taken. one way we can contribute on an individual level is to thoroughly research products we buy and who we are buying them from. if we boycott those who don't manufacture responsibly possibly we could have an impact on their decision making processes. manufacturing responsibly includes every aspect of the process, from where they purchase their supplies to how they dispose of their waste.

it is shameful that so many, for so long, have taken so much that they've forgotten there is a cost. self interest and the obsession with wealth has robbed people of their sensibilities.

i know there are numbers of responsible world citizens out there who are willing to help turn this thing around. we can impress on the selfish and desensitized members of society that there is no place in our lives for the products they produce nor the leavings of their processes. consider yourself a volunteer. volunteers give back because they are grateful for what they have been given.

we should not shrug it off and wait for someone else to do it. the time is now. express gratitude for the powerful opportunity to learn more about what you can do and the even more powerful opportunity of doing it!



bright blessings, love and light to you all!
t smith