Even God Makes Mistakes...

Merry Meet Family and Friends!

I consider myself a Steward of the Earth. As "new agey" as that may sound, it is by far, the most accurate description. So when events such as the gulf oil spill take place, and I see the carnage left in it's path, it leaves me feeling helpless and frustrated. But, not hopeless. Never hopeless. I believe that the Earth will take care of it's own and while there may be casualties along the way, the balance will be restored. Cause' the Mother's awesome like that!

And while I may be able to do little on my own to contribute to the clean up efforts, I continue to do what I can within my own sacred space.

We are in the midst of a brutal heat wave here in New Jersey. Temperatures have topped 100 degrees, with nothing more than a few sprinkles of rain for weeks. Our town is under water restrictions which I'm finding much more painful to accept and comply with when I look upon the herbs and plantings, that I have so loving cared for, withering in the unrelenting heat.

I stepped outside a few days ago and the humidity enveloped me like a shroud. The sky was perfectly cloudless without even a hint of breeze. I noticed a Robin attempting to drink from our pond and as I watched, it fell over. I ran to see if I could help and found it huddled under the shade of a bush, shielding itself from the brutality of the Sun's rays. I thought it might fly off when I approached, but it remained still, beak open, it's breathing labored. I quickly fetched my watering can and filled it with cool water. I gently poured tiny drops into it's mouth and over it's wings. As I did, it tilted his little head back to drink. I was relieved. When I returned later, it was gone. When I turned to go back into the house, I noticed it lying at my feet, eyes open wide. It had died. I was heartbroken. Nature can be so cruel, or so they say. Who are "they" anyway?

My husband would say, that I'm interfering with life's natural order. And perhaps, that's true. But, how does one know when to let nature take it's course or to give our best efforts to sustain it?

We humans become ill every day. At times, through no fault of our own, at others, by assaulting our bodies with our own personal gulf oil spills. And yet, when we develop diseases that threaten the preciousness of life, we pump it with toxins and resort to extreme measures to sustain it's quality, even long after that possibility no longer exists.

Is this not interfering with life's natural cycle? And why is life's importance determined by the order of species? What makes some species less worthy of life than others?

Humankind. The greatest creation of the Gods or a wonderment of evolution? Perhaps a little of both? So long it's been debated. I've yet to decide, nor am I certain that it really matters. In order of species, we are Masters of all we survey. I bear witness to the miracles of modern medicine and technology every day. And yet, yet...we have been the single most destructive force to the planet that continues to sustain us, despite the aggressiveness of our malignancy.

Perhaps my efforts are, as my husband suggests, tampering with with life's "natural order". Perhaps allowing nature to take its course is what, in the big picture of things, I'm supposed to do.

Me? I'm going to continue screw with nature! I will water my herbs when the Mother sees fit to withhold rain. I will feed birds and animals in my sacred space when she blankets the ground with snow. I will continue to aid all those sentient beings that allow me the honor of living amongst them, in the place that was "home" to them long before we decided it was "ours". For me it's more than a labor of love.

I consider it penance for being one of God's greatest mistakes.

In Darkness, Light,


Tracy