Dear Earth, our Mother —
Even as we acknowledge the problems we face and those we have caused others of your children, your living species, we also recognise the many joys and delights in our lives. Being alive on this planet is, above all, a blessing.
Thank you dear Mother for the ground that supports us, the air we breathe to take in life; the water we drink to keep us alive, cleansing us inside and out; the food we eat to sustain our lives; the sun we orbit, warming us, giving us light, making life possible.
We give thanks for small daily joys — the smile of a child, the kind word of a friend, the hug of a family member, the kiss of a lover. We are grateful for jokes and laughter, the healing that comes with tears, the pleasure of good conversation, the useful power of thought; for taste and smell, art and music, the colours of flowers, songs of birds, the ever-changing moods of the ocean. We thank you for our guardian mountains, our companion rivers, the fields and forests filling our lives with beauty. We thank you for this land where we live. Thank you for our being here.
We thank you for major miracles: illnesses that didn’t kill us, accidents from which we emerged still breathing, emotional traumas which have not sent us mad, obstacles we overcame by apparent magic or by strengths we didn’t know we had, fore-ordained meetings which brought important friends and surprising opportunities into our lives. We thank you for experiences we considered bad or unlucky, understanding now they were opportunities, gifts to enrich our lives.
We give thanks for being here now, for whatever part we are called to play in this present crisis and whatever new challenges may come. We ask to be of service to the greater good of humanity, and the whole planet — whether our personal roles appear large or small. We know that every strand in the fabric is not only important but essential. Thank you for this momentous opportunity, and for ensuring we are equal to it.
Thank you for the Love within and surrounding us, making everything possible. Thank you for everything.
Written for the Wisdom Circle of The Goddesses of Shining Light (Murwillumbah, Australia).
Shared with Writers' Pantry #33 at Poets and Storytellers United
