Co-creators

The Mystery within...

I was part of a Schlitz Audubon Nature Center reading group reflecting on botanist and Native American, Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book, “Braiding Sweetgrass,” when, Laurie, a group member said, “The only thing created out of nothing is love.”  I understood Laurie's words on a level where words are inadequate to describe what we all seek.  And if our world, our universe, was created out of love, then I believe we all play a part as co-creators through loving the world and one another.

When I asked Laurie if she could say a little more about “The only thing created out of nothing is love,” she told me the story of her two year old daughter dying of cancer and the love that sprung from her daughter’s reaching her tiny little hand out to grab the pinky of a seriously bad-tempered, tyrannical family member.  She said her daughter’s simple touch broke down his defenses and she saw how he realized he had nothing to fear from her daughter.  Her touch transformed him.  I pray her poignant story will help me be more curious and understanding of the fears harbored by seriously bad tempered, tyrannical souls and will help me know everything holds the Mystery within to bring transformation.        

Robin Wall Kimmerer braids science, spirit and sacred stories to show us a possible relationship where people, the land, and everything inhabiting it, are good medicine for each other.  This symbiotic relationship is born from the alchemy of our gratitude for our earth’s many gifts.  Other species can be known as models of ecological and cultural sustainability that demonstrate the power of unity through diversity.  Our participation in this interplay is critical for our transformation. 

Gratitude for the gifts of earth’s diversity is the hallmark of native cultures across the globe and an essential understanding for our future health and well-being.  We need to be thankful for the plant and animal lives that sustain us taking care not to waste or over consume.  A line from a native prayer acknowledges, “Everything we need to live a good life is here on Mother Earth.”  Kimmerer knows, along with many others, that gratitude begets abundance and our strength lies in our embrace of diversity.

Reciprocity is a word Kimmerer uses throughout “Braiding Sweetgrass.”  If we take care of the earth the earth will take care of us.  And we need to give back for what the earth gives us.  We need to choose leaders rooted in service and wisdom; leaders who are willing to work for common good and common ground with an ability to ameliorate differences; leaders who will present us with a Bill of Responsibilities.  We need to show up and speak up for Mother Earth. 

What if we all became co-creators by risking loving the world?