Cherish this Planet

“I perceive the universe as a cosmic temple and planet earth as a sanctuary in that temple.”

__Natalie Scarberry

I read the words above, in Natalie’s post, the evening after watching the movie The Martian, a gripping story about a man left for dead on Mars. He must learn to survive on a barren, inhospitable planet, not meant for human habitation. Mars is full of rocks and dirt, and freezing cold temperatures. The Martian air is not fit to breathe.

It got me thinking about how perfectly created our planet earth is.  It seems the earth is well suited for us, more than we are for the earth.

I’m ambivalent about spending so much money on space exploration when our own planet needs so much help. I want to believe we can explore the universe AND save Earth.

But taking care of our precious home planet needs to be our first priority.

While our leaders meet in Paris, searching for ways to protect our planet, let us offer our hopes and prayers for their success.  Let us create peace in our own hearts and minds – one moment at a time – to work together.

Even with all the horrible things some humans do to our world, pockets of peace and beauty still survive. We can heal. Every patch of earth we care for is part of the healing.

 

I’m reminded of this poem I found in my Earth Prayers book.

Few things that grow here poison us.

Most of the animals are small.

Those big enough to kill us do it in a way

Easy to understand, easy to defend against.

The air here, is just what the blood needs.

We don’t use helmets or space suits.

The star here, doesn’t burn you if you

Stay outside as much as you should.

The worst of our winters is bearable.

Water, both salt and sweet, is everywhere.

The things that live in it are easily gathered.

Mostly, you can eat them raw with safety and pleasure.

Yesterday, my wife and I brought back

Shells, driftwood, stones and other curiosities

Found on the beach of the immense

Fresh-water sea we live by

She was all excited by a slender white stone which

“Exactly fits the hand!”

I couldn’t share her wonder.

Here, almost everything does.

Lew Welch

 

Photo by John Fowler via Wikimedia Commons

 

 

Love Letters from a Sycamore Tree

The sycamore that grows in my backyard, near the house, has been leaning (away from the house) ever since a major hurricane years ago. I think it was Bertha in 1996. With each hurricane since, I go outside and give the tree a hug before things get dicey. “Hang in there,” I murmur. I think it was during Floyd in ’99 that I watched the roots heave upward a few inches with each powerful gust tugging at the branches. “Hold on,” I whispered from the back door.

The sycamore held on through the storms, through my divorce and through the raising of two teenagers. Now, a smaller trunk grows from the base of mother sycamore, leaning in the opposite direction, providing balance. The mother tree seems to be leaning less, like  maybe at a 5 degree angle instead of 20 degrees.

Some people would have cut this tree down as soon as the lean was discovered.

But not this tree hugger.

Each year the leaning tree sheds it’s bark as sycamores are known to do. This past summer, I noticed natural heart shaped holes in bark offerings. Maybe they were there before, and I just didn’t notice. I don’t know. Life is what you make it, and I like to think that maybe my old friend sent me summer valentines.

    

The wide leaves are just starting to turn brown. Soon they will begin to fall.

Trees give us shade in the summer as their leaves soak up the sun’s energy.  If you have as many trees in your yard as I do, you can save a lot of money on air conditioning.

As the weather cools, some trees let go of their leaves, letting the sun shine through to warm us in winter.

Is it a coincidence that trees benefit us this way?  Are we just lucky? Or are we blessed?

Then there’s the whole oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange thing.  Trees make the stuff we need to breathe in, and we breath out the stuff they need.

Do you ever stop and think about how amazing and wonderful this planet is?

This poem is from Earth Prayers 1991, Edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon:

Few things that grow here poison us.

Most of the animals are small.

Those big enough to kill, do it in a way

Easy to understand, easy to defend against.

The air here is just what the blood needs.

We don’t use helmets or special suits.

The star here doesn’t burn you if you

Stay outside as much as you should.

The worst of our winters is bearable.

Water, both salt and sweet, is everywhere.

The things that live in it are easily gathered.

Mostly, you can eat them raw with safety and pleasure.

Yesterday, my wife and I brought back

Shells, driftwood, stones and other curiosities

Found on the beach of the immense

Fresh-water Sea we live by.

She was all excited by a slender white stone which

“Exactly fits the hand.”

I couldn’t share her wonder.

Here, almost everything does.

                                  Lew Welch

Whether it’s luck, or the grand design of a generous Creator, we need to be more thankful for our planet, and particularly thankful for trees. If a tree’s growing in an inconvenient place, try to move it while it’s still small. Put small seedlings in  pots and give them away. Give them a chance.

What have you learned from trees or from nature?