What shall we give up, that the Earth
may be healed?
What shall we deny ourselves of the
comforts we have grown used to
that the land may prosper,
that the waters may flow,
that the air may become pure?
We think that we make no difference
and so excuse our habit of not noticing
the needs of the Earth
as we go through our day.
Yet, these needs are as real as the needs
of our children whom we do not forget,
even when they are away from us.
What shall we forgo that the Earth may prosper?
What shall we give to the blessed Earth as
a sign of our oneness?
If we each make the small sacrifice
of one thing that we have held onto
that is comforting for ourselves
but not nourishing for the Earth,
we shall find that all of our sacrifices together
will create a river of change
that will alter the planet in ways
we cannot even imagine.
The key is to know that we make a difference.
The key is to know that everything matters.
The key is to know that we are here in bodies
at this time to do this very thing –
to redeem the Earth and each other
from our indifference,
and to establish a new foundation
for life on this planet,
the foundation of love and sacredness,
the foundation of ‘nothing goes unnoticed.’