A love note to Mother Earth
One of the great things about gardening is that the garden talks back. I am constantly learning what works and what doesn’t work, grappling with the realities of my garden and myself, and yielding to them.
Goshen College President Rebecca Stoltzfus offers regular and intimate reflections on campus, interesting people she’s met, conversations she’s part of and higher education today.
Email her: president@goshen.edu
One of the great things about gardening is that the garden talks back. I am constantly learning what works and what doesn’t work, grappling with the realities of my garden and myself, and yielding to them.
If we are to save ourselves and our planet from the devastation we have wrought, it will require a redefinition of community.
The word I’ve kept circling back to is “Grounded.” 2020 knocked me around. I want to stand this year with two feet on the ground, knees slightly bent. I want to feel the earth supporting me; to know the firm and gentle force of gravity. I want to be steady.
Are we bringing our very best to bear on what is perhaps the greatest challenge humans have ever faced: climate change? What would it look like if we did?
My visit to Ol’ Morani Ranch in southeast Arizona last month made me think about how we shape our environments, and how our environments shape us.