SUMMER REFLECTIVE DAY RETREAT

While waiting for six women to arrive at Prairie Pond Woods this past Saturday for the Summer Reflective Retreat, I watched the sky blacken and the clouds move rapidly from the south and thought, "OK...I've never had a retreat rained out like this before...what is Plan B going to be?"  On top of this...the meteorolo-jests (as I've come to affectionately call them) were forecasting 92 degrees by the afternoon and high humidity! 

But the wind calmed a bit and it looked like the clouds were going to go right on by, until we were all finally gathered on the front porch for introductions and a poetry reading, then the clouds let go.  But with an ever so gentle shower.  I asked the ladies if they were game.  They were.  So we headed out!  I nicknamed them The Fritillary Group, because those were the only butterflies that braved the rain to nectar on butterflyweed or flutter about exploring the scent on the wind.  

And not only did the rain not deter these women, neither did the heat!  After lunch, most of them packed up their journals and water bottles and headed off to their favorite spots, picked out during our morning walk.  I was more than impressed!  

Later in the afternoon, when even the Fence Lizards were lounging in cooler micro-climates, we crafted Prayer Cards, sharing from our hearts why we chose these people or situations to pray for.  Spiritual connections were made.  New friends were made.  And the day ended all too soon.

THE UNDERAPPRECIATED MULBERRY

I have several large mulberry trees in my backyard, which the birds are gracious enough to share with me...but only if I stick to the lower branches. And because the birds love them so much...I find little mulberry saplings just about everywhere. Maybe that is why whenever I try to give one away to friends, NO one ever wants one... Or maybe it is the lovely purple stains they can leave on your hands, feet and lawnmower.

But this seems like a small price to pay for all the benefits the native white mulberry (morus alba) gives back. The fruit tree is an Ohio native, so it is well adapted to our soil, light and moisture levels, which translated means, you don't have to fuss with it! It produces a huge amount of berries for eating or baking and which are quite good for you. Plus, the trees grow very quickly, so once you transplant it...it is not long before you will enjoy the "fruit" of your labor.

Mulberries are an excellent source of vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin K and iron. They are also a good source of dietary fiber, riboflavin, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red grapes and red wine, is abundant in mulberries and has been heavily publicized for its positive health benefits. These benefits include lowering cholesterol, preventing cancer, blood clots, diabetes and aiding in weight loss. Who knew something that healthy could be so easily and readily available in our own backyards?

When the berries are ripe I pick them, wash them and lay them on a cookie sheet to freeze. Then I transfer them to a container for freezing and eat them all year. The berries make a good mulberry crisp or cobbler. You can add them to smoothies. Or you can just pop them in your mouth...and yes you might have to tolerate some tasteless, harmless stem pieces. Don't be so finicky...:)

Then there is the benefit to wildlife. I usually get a flock of cedar waxwings each year enjoying the sweet resource. And just the other day, as I was standing underneath some lower branches, a female Baltimore Oriole landed about 4 feet away from me and had herself an energy snack, which she needs while raising her young somewhere nearby.

I'm befuddled that this wonderful fruit tree is not more ubiquitous and highly esteemed for cultivation. But like many other native plants, it has gotten overshadowed by exotic ones and virtually lost in the landscaping and plant industry. It needs no pesticides or fungicides unlike many other fruit trees people try to grow. It just stands in the sun and gives up its ripe, juicy, sweet berries to anyone or any thing that wants them...for free.

Let me know if you are interested. Next time I run across a little sapling, I'll give you a call!

THE UNIVERSE AS COMMUNION

The universe is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects. And we have this from our first awakening to the universe. Your first impression when you see a flower or see a tree or see a sunset or see the ocean, or see anything in the natural world, your first impression is a communion experience. How wonderful this is: to live in the universe where there’s a sun in the heavens; where there’s so many wonderful creatures of Earth; where there's song of the birds and the butterflies and the cicada in the evening.

There’s one experience that I think has had a very deep influence on my life. When I was about ten years old I saw a meadow and I saw it first in spring time -- in early May.  What is all this? Obviously, it’s not a collection of objects to be used. Obviously, it’s a world to be venerated. It’s a world to be communed with, to be present, to be delighted in, and together to have a certain experience that might be called ecstatic experience. A good economy is what makes that meadow survive. Good politics protects that meadow. A good religion is what enabled me to understand the deep mystery in the meadow.

If we don’t have certain outer experiences, we don’t have certain inner experiences or at least we don’t have them in such a profound way. We need the sun, the moon, the stars, the rivers and the mountains and the trees, the flowers, the birds, the song of the birds, the fish in the sea. All of this evokes something in our inner world, evokes a world of mystery. It evokes a world of Sacred and gives us that sense of awe and mystery.

Source: Thomas Berry

The Great Story (video)