I was taught the graces of giving at a young age. As a family, we never went anywhere without gift in hand. My parents clearly and purposely said thank you, often. My father, as a small business owner, made the rounds every December thanking his various business partners, the members of his band, the suppliers he dealt with that were as dependent on his business as he was theirs. I have carried this grace into my life naturally and I can attribute it to everything I am and nearly everything I have. I am blessed with good friendship, most important of all. I owe this to an attitude of gratitude.
This week I’ve been thinking about the environment. Monday was World Water Day. Water, or lack thereof, has become the most urgent and severe crisis of our time. We must do everything in our power to conserve the water we use, protect the water we have access to from contaminants, and fund the organizations that are providing assistance to areas on earth depleted of water, areas where millions of people are left to struggle within their geographic boundaries, with a land that is running dry both of water and of hope. We have moved water to our convenience without considering the implications carefully enough. We now have immense patches of land cleared for growing food, habitat destroyed, that can no longer support food growth because the land has dried up. It wasn't natural. We have become too big, too centralized, too damaging for our own good. We felt so entitled, and we made bad choices.
The earth has given us much to be grateful for. What have we given in return? I think I’m safe to say that even the most gracious among us have not given back to earth as much as she has given us.
It’s time to return the favor.
It’s time to plant trees, time to stop using pesticides and chemicals, time to let nature have her space, time to give back habitat and rebuild ecosystems, time to wake up.
This week I’ve been thinking about the environment. Monday was World Water Day. Water, or lack thereof, has become the most urgent and severe crisis of our time. We must do everything in our power to conserve the water we use, protect the water we have access to from contaminants, and fund the organizations that are providing assistance to areas on earth depleted of water, areas where millions of people are left to struggle within their geographic boundaries, with a land that is running dry both of water and of hope. We have moved water to our convenience without considering the implications carefully enough. We now have immense patches of land cleared for growing food, habitat destroyed, that can no longer support food growth because the land has dried up. It wasn't natural. We have become too big, too centralized, too damaging for our own good. We felt so entitled, and we made bad choices.
The earth has given us much to be grateful for. What have we given in return? I think I’m safe to say that even the most gracious among us have not given back to earth as much as she has given us.
It’s time to return the favor.
It’s time to plant trees, time to stop using pesticides and chemicals, time to let nature have her space, time to give back habitat and rebuild ecosystems, time to wake up.
It is time to say Thank You, to a friend that has not turned her back on us, yet.