Happy Earth Day!
    A year ago today I launched The Earth Connection. ‘Doing’ this website has been a rich experience for me. I am grateful to be able to share with others who also love the earth, and I have appreciated the comments and contributions from visitors to the site.
    In addition to posting the works of others and to writing about good news, information, and helpful actions people can take, I have also been stretching myself as a writer. Over the past year, I have written a few pieces describing my own observations of the natural world, about my own strong feelings about the earth. This mode of writing is new for me, a departure from my usual reportorial style. And at first I felt unsure about sharing such pieces. But the responses from readers have shown me that many people appreciate writing that comes ‘from the heart.’
    So I am thankful this Earth Day that The Earth Connection has been thriving for a whole year. I wish you a Happy Earth Day, and I hope you are celebrating our beautiful planet today in some way that is meaningful to you.
    I also post here some wise words from Black Elk. He was an Oglala Sioux whose writings have touched me deeply.–April Moore
‘Then I was standing on the highest mountain of
them all, and round about beneath me was the
whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I
saw more than I can tell and I understood more
than I saw;Â for I was seeing in a sacred manner the
shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of
all shapes as they must live together like one being.
And I saw the sacred hoop of my people was one
of the many hoops that made one circle, wide as
daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one
mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of
one mother and one father. And I saw that it was
holy. . . . .
    But anywhere is the center of the world.’–Black Elk
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:01 pm
A very powerful, moving image. Just a few days ago I watched a young boy from the Zotigh family dance a Plains style hoop dance. The next time I see him, I will recall Black Elk’s words, and the dance will have much greater meaning for me. Today I heard Native people call this Mother Earth Day. Perhaps if each of us envisioned ourself standing in the center of the world, we would truly honor our Earth Mother, as without Her we would not exist.
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:05 pm
April, Thank you! A whole year already! Here’s another poem to share:
“How generous you are, Earth,
and how strong is your yearning for your children
lost between that which they have attained and that which they could
not obtain.
We clamor and you smile; we flit but you stay!
We extract your elements to make cannons and bombs,
but out of our elements you create lilies and roses.”
~Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Writing from the heart is often writing at its best, and you have enriched the lives of your readers too. You have made us laugh and cry, you have made us happy and introspective. Mostly, you have made us more aware…more observant…more appreciative of our precious earth, our island home. Thank you for sharing your gift.
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Congratulations on one year!
And what a fitting and beautiful quote from Black Elk.
April 23rd, 2009 at 6:07 am
Thank you all for such lovely comments! I appreciate them very much. I like thinking of Earth Day as ‘Mother Earth Day.’ It seems so obvious, now that I think of it!
April 28th, 2009 at 8:00 am
One year! Thanks for taking me deeper into your experience and thereby taking me deeper into my own! Gail