Respect Your Mother

Oh, she loves you. From the moment your lungs gasped oxygen instead of liquid, she’s held you close to the chest. Each moment, you’re loved deeply. When you chop her trees and drain her rivers for yourself, she hopes to see you shine. She wishes that your arm was still going numb under your baby’s head. She wishes that you could tend your garden instead of going to the office. Growing her flowers and her vegetables.

Mother Earth is the epitome of motherly love. She is the comfort and the storm. The question and the answer. An unshakeable presence in times of uncertainty. Your mother holds fast. In times of trouble, Mother Earth gives the perfect example of perseverance. There are so many elements of Her that we take for granted. Something as simple as leaves on the trees or bees floating from flower to flower. Each one hard at work for us. Taking toxins in the air, turning it into fresh oxygen. Pollinating all of the plants that make oxygen, beauty, and food. Your mother, working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure that you have all you need while you assume that it will never stop. You don’t think about how her bees are dying, how her water is drying up, how her temperature is turning into a fever. The sacrifices we force her to make will be the things that ultimately cause us to sacrifice ourselves.

All this work, so little gratitude. It’s the nature of nature and of mothers. The giving tree, the kissing hand, the safe place away from the wild things-all the work of your Mother’s love. Every moment you exist is a great victory in her eyes. Take the time to remember that her existence should be a great victory to you as well. Are you watching her? Are you caring for her? Do you understand what you lose in her sacrifice? Mother Earth is steady and unyielding. She may give it all, but without respect, she will carry on long after you are gone. Look upon her gifts and beauty. Keep watch. She needs your diligence and care. It’s vital that you find a drive to protect and nurture in the way it’s given to you. Love flows many ways.

She wonders at you. What will you do next on her green surface? Will you put your toes in her grass? Run your fingers through her creeks? She wonders about you. All these plants around the edge of the parking lot, but none of them grow food? Why would you neglect the bees and the butterflies? Both as beautiful as you and so essential to your wellness.

Mother Earth will be loving you. Sending you flowers each spring and letting the sun shine while rain is falling on your face. She made it just for you. I will be loving you. Hoping that your leaves are vibrant in the fall and that your tomatoes grow ripe in the summer. Let your love run freely into the atmosphere, as well.