Green Tribe of Belonging

  Wise Giants in Our Midst I am filled with love for trees, their exquisite winter forms showing a whole life story, each one different, each story their own. Especially the solitary giant,  standing alone, not just stretching up,  but with room to stretch far out, reveling in unhindered freedom of expression. As I walk by these wonders of creation, I catch my breath at each new view. These intricate works of beauty stun me into an awed silence. It is as if they are radiating out their branches in greeting, their inner structures unwrapped, their personalities standing out in relief. I am honored to meet them so transparently.  Tree wisdom is different than ours but I feel expanded underneath their branches, protected and nurtured by these huge beings standing tall and strong in our midst. Imagine a different world where species’ roles were switched, where animals like us were small and modest and the confederation of our tall tree leaders bound us together in a vibrant energetic web o

 If you have read my last post, you know that I've been preoccupied with learning how we ordinary folks can deal with the current plight of our planet. If you're like me, it is hard to sustain the focus on this for long. It's too discouraging. So we take as much as we can, and then turn our focus to something brighter for awhile. I bought a book more than a month ago that I knew might be a help, even carried it with me to Ireland and back, but never had the courage to read the cover or look inside until a few days ago, a good example of how we protect ourselves from too much discouragement. Yet when I did open the book, I found that it was just what I was needing! Definitely it has added a brighter outlook to my world. The book is Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in with Unexpected Resilience and Creative Power   by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone.  It first came out in 2012 to high acclaim. And recently it has been revised to include the current landscape of thr

 I'm happily back from a wonderful trip to Ireland, though it has taken me more than two weeks to recover from this potent Irish virus. And now that I'm well enough to feel like writing again, it is surprising to me that my main interest is not sharing about what I learned and saw in Ireland, but rather about what is happening in the world at large. Maybe getting clear away from home, traveling through the skies across the huge ocean and back has given me a perspective I didn't have before. So it is that I am sitting at my desk here in Iowa, yet my awareness is turned outward to the plight of the world. We learn early that life is not always what we'd like. We experience both joys and sorrows. We learn to persevere through the tough times, and enjoy the happier ones. We grow accustomed to the challenges that come to us. So it is that we weather the crazier political times that sometimes come, as now. And we follow the violent and sorrowful happenings across the globe as

 Two weeks ago, I went on an adventure with my family to Ireland. My grandson, Henry, is spending his first semester in college in an off-campus study in Limerick. My daughter April, her husband Matt, and my other grandson Gus took me along with them to visit Henry and explore Ireland. It was a magical journey, and I was full of all kinds of things to write on this blog when I got back. But unfortunately I picked up some virus in Ireland and it hit me on the flight back to the US. So I am waylaid in Asheville at April's home to recover before I'm well enough to fly home. This morning it does feel like I've turned a corner, so I might write about Irish adventures soon. But for now, I'll just send you a couple "cinquaine" poems that I wrote waiting in the airport.  More later..... Full moon above the trees shining over Dublin. Far away from home you are, but same moon. White horse. See it standing. Looking over valleys. Nestled close among the greens in still-wa