The World is a Freaking Mess

And I am awash in gifts.

Bombs. Hate. Racism. Retribution. Climate chaos, extreme heat, drought, storms. Loss of precious ecosystems. All writ large on our national scene – and in my thoughts.

Close to home: grief and blessings intertwine.

· Sixteen years of abundant and undeserved love from our sweet dog, Pippa. She gave her all until the very end, perhaps choosing her time to go when we were thousands of miles away and could not be by her side to beg her to stay a while longer.

· Our adult children and a long-time friend who dropped everything to come immediately, sitting by Pippa’s side, hands on her warm fur, feeling her heartbeat until she left them. And us.

· A kind and caring pet sitter and vet who knew just what to do and how to be. Friends and neighbors who reached out with sympathy and care.

My heart is filled with sorrow - and loveliness.

· Reading from a book of beautiful poems¹ – a gift from the author that arrived while we were away – as I sit with my cup of coffee that tastes like home.

· The fragrance and rich greenness of basil and garlic scapes, freshly harvested and blended to pesto that tastes of sun, soil, rain, and Earth’s generosity. Cucumbers, dill, zucchini, peas, lettuce, and other human edibles offer themselves alongside coneflowers, rattlesnake master, St. John’s wort, milkweed, and other delights for insects and pollinators.

· Glimmers of sweet conversations from our book signing yesterday²: “I drove over an hour to meet you and buy your book. When I heard about it, I started reading it online. But after the first chapter, I knew that I need a copy for myself and ones to share with friends. Thank you for writing this.” And “I’ve been feeling really down. I think this book was meant for me. I’m so glad that we came into this store when you were here! I will take this book on our vacation.”

I am disheartened by the news - and heartened by potential.

· A call with members of the Global Ecovillage Network Resilience Project. This is my first meeting; I know no one. We are randomly placed into breakout groups, and I learn of an incredible regenerative project with farmers in India. Then I am in disbelief when a participant from Thailand says, “I’m so glad that we’re in the same group. I’m reading your book and have been sharing quotes from it with others.” She holds up a copy of Earth & Soul.³

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This is our work on the edge of loss, to hold in its entirety this seemingly contradictory web of feelings and emotions and to take a long, loving look at the real, allowing our hearts to break open to embrace it all. (p. 86)

Marvel at the beauty. Weep at the loss. Wait patiently for the next pattern to emerge. Our hearts must hold it all. Fortunately, they can. (p. 172)

I wrote these lines in Earth & Soul: Reconnecting amid Climate Chaos (2024). Sometimes I think that my writing precedes my understanding. Or perhaps I simply keep forgetting that joy and sorrow, beauty and destruction, hope and despair exist alongside each other. This world is so broken and so beautiful. I must keep growing my heart to hold it all. Then, aware of and grateful for gifts that still abound, perhaps I too may become gift.

Our dear Pippa, a glimpse of our garden, and yesterday's book signing.

1. I recommend Understory, a book of poetry by Ron Shapiro published this year.

2. Thanks to Winchester (VA) Book Gallery for hosting my coauthor, Beth Norcross, and me yesterday and promoting our book, Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees.

3. To quote a fellow author, “If one line of one chapter of one book I've written touches one reader's heart, I will not have labored in vain.” -Riley Kilmore

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If you’re in the DC Metro area next weekend, it would mean a lot to us if you’d stop by to say hello between noon and 3pm at Barnes & Noble, Falls Church, VA.

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