The Graze V.170: Drawn More Deeply
Hi Friends:
The meadows at Mission Farm showcase abundance and beauty. In the spring, trillium, columbine, and lady slippers emerge. Mid-summer brings happy black-eyed Susans, milkweed, and Joe-Pye weed, filling the meadows with color. I meet many people who travel to Mission Farm specifically to see the wildflowers, bird watch, or forage for mushrooms.
The creatures, flora, and fauna that fill the 180 acres of woodland and animal habitat at Mission Farm reflect the core values that have emerged in this place: connection, conservation, and justice.
But what is the connection between our search for the Holy, our desire for justice, and our care for Creation? Norman Wirzba points out that it is impossible to speak about human flourishing if the land, water, air, soil, plant, and animal creatures are not flourishing at the same time. The natural world reflects our own condition, and the soil, water, and air are not separate from us.
What if we were to imagine that all of life - every creature, plant, and microorganism - is beloved? What if we took the time to observe and engage with the natural world, and truly appreciated the relationships that make life possible? What if we deeply understood the conditions and relationships that enable mutual flourishing?
Through our connection with Creation, we learn what it means to be in relation to a loving, healing, and nurturing God. The garden and the beehives teach us the importance of the practices of attention and care. We learn that life is hard; the bear may disrupt the beehives, and the garden may be washed away in a flood -we also learn about the vulnerability, mystery, and hope of life.
The flowers will continue to bloom, the bees will continue to create sweet honey, and soon the leaves will turn and the snow will fall. What does all of this have to teach us?
May you feel, see, taste, and touch the abundance of Creation, and may you be drawn ever more deeply into the movements of love that nurture, heal, and bring joy.
🌱 💚 Lisa