Happy Earth Day! I hope you have a plan to spend a few moments outside at some point today to appreciate the beauty and diversity that is the unfolding of creation.
Here is a link to the Earth Day message from the Moderator of the United Church of Canada that somehow was misplaced from the slide deck yesterday morning. Click here.
Earth Day always draws me to the work of songwriters and poets. Here are one of each that stir my heart as I ponder the beauty, complexity, and mystery that is this universe that is our home that we are called to care for!
Wildflower Yoga by Mary Oliver
What Was Once the Largest Shopping Center in Northern Ohio Was Built Where There Had Been A Pond I Used To Visit Every Summer Afternoon -
Loving the earth, seeing what has been done to it,
I grow sharp, I grow cold.
Where will the trilliums go, and the coltsfoot?
Where will the pond lilies go to continue living
their simple, penniless lives, lifting
their faces of gold?
Impossible to believe we need so much
as the world wants us to buy.
I have more clothes, lamps, dishes, paper clips
than I could possibly use before I die.
Oh, I would like to live in an empty house,
with vines for walls, and a carpet of grass.
No planks, no plastic, no fiberglass.
And I suppose sometime I will.
Old and cold I will lie apart
from all this buying and selling, with only
the beautiful earth in my heart.
And a song, It's About Time by John Denver
Happy Earth Day and may this Earth Week be one of reflection and action for you! Learn about work being done to address the climate crisis, do what you can in your corner - pick up litter, turn the soil for a garden... embrace the beauty - always!
Faithfully,
Lloyd
Looking Ahead
I am in the office today and tomorrow for meetings but for the rest of the week, with the support of the Ministry and Personnel Committee I will be working off-site, reachable by email, telephone and Zoom. I will be editing video clips for the Stories of Faith and Stewardship project and preparing for the Wonder Cafe scheduled for Sunday with Sharon Ballantyne. And remember, following the Wonder Cafe there is a Congregational Meeting to consider the Collaborative Ministry Proposal which will be followed in turn by a Pot-Luck luncheon. Do bring some sandwiches or sweets to share!
