Earth Day is the day we are to raise our consciousness about the earth. To me it is Earth Day every day just as Thanksgiving Day is. Gratitude is an everyday occurrence. It is also like Christmas and Valentine's Day and Easter and Independence Day. Liberty is always remembered. Along with being grateful for the beauty of the earth and the eternal gifts of the Savior, happens every day for me. The love I feel for so many also goes far beyond one day in February. But these days are a good reminder of how we Choose to live every day.
I know that for many Earth Day is a very political issue. I don't really go there so much. For me it is more about personal stewardship. What can I do myself to care for the earth?
Of course we can recycle and conserve our resources as much as possible. We can never litter! Littering is so disrespectful of the earth and everyone else who lives on it. It's lazy and thoughtless. Almost every time Jim leaves our driveway to walk or run or ride his bike he picks up litter on our street. Seriously this is a major problem. We try to do that often and in other places as well. It's small but it helps.
Yesterday my friend wrote on her blog about the creation of the earth. Then last night we went to the Temple and enjoyed thinking about that whole beautiful process of creation by our Divine Creator.
What a magnificently loving God he is. He had given us everything. All the beauty of the earth with its exquisite variety is breathtaking. Every Day is Earth Day.
Now to me the earth and the world are not interchangeable words for the same thing. The "world" is what man has done to the earth by living here. Often we are not very mindful of the needed preservation of what the Lord has made. The world is the place that man has corrupted by his greed and his pollution and waste and disrespect of mankind in general. Selfishness plays into this in a big way. The world is the place that man has denigrated by his lack of ethics, goodwill and moral fiber in many cases. Instant gratification is inherent in the world. Thinking just of "me" and "now" are not very productive in creating a better future. This is not to say the man has not also done some amazing things to magnify the beauty of the earth. Because he most certainly has. But Earth Day doesn't really champion those things so much.
God clearly wants us to beautify the earth and care of it. It is a big part of our spiritual stewardship. Not all people listen to that or agree. Not all people care about the future of the earth or what they are leaving for their posterity. We do. We care for what we have been given and we appreciate it and the Lord and his gifts.
Jim always says, "Life is Maintenance" every bit of it, if you think about it. What in your life doesn't not need maintenance to keep its value? Nothing. And enhancement is even better. Maintain it and improve it also.
Here some additional things we can do:
Maintain our home and yards. It is our piece of the rock!
Leave a place better than we found it.
Plant trees, etc."dress our garden."
Share what we have with others.
Share our home, share our tools, share our skills, etc.
Give meaningful service to others and in the community.
Donate items we don't need rather than just tossing them out.
Thrift shop sometimes. It's fun, creative and a treasure hunt.
Drive less by planning our routes in advance. Carpool.
Use our belongings to help others conserve. Again share.
Be a good steward, use resources wisely, be responsible.
And lastly think globally but act locally. Do what you can do where you are. If everyone did a little more we could make a big difference. Think about your blessings everyday. Be grateful!
Land's End~San Francisco
Happy Earth Day...Every Day!
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