I read a report in The Gleaner this morning that got me thinking about the importance of interacting with Nature. The story was about a 78-year-old woman In Bushy Park who supplies schools with free callalloo seeds. Her objective is to get kids involved in farming. The part of the article that hit home with me referred to “child development experts” who had found that intereaction with plants and animals makes children less likely to become involved in violence.
The article didn’t say who the experts were or how they arrived at their findings, but I am prepared to accept their conclusion. As I roam about my garden in the morning, I can feel the calming effect of Mother Nature. By feeding the birds and squirrels, I nourish some inner part of me. The companionship of our family pets replenishes me.
As the Psalm says, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters; He restoreth my soul.”
How tragic it is that in our frenzy to plunder the Earth’s resources, human beings are paving over the green pastures and polluting the still waters.
I pause in my garden, among the azaleas and lilies, and I wonder, “How will we live after we kill Mother Nature?”
