On Earth Day we celebrate our planet, Earth, our natural resources, the Creator’s Heavenly paintbrush so busy building beauty all around us, and yes, Trees.

I have never exactly hugged a tree, but I really REALLY like trees of all shapes & sizes. Hugging a tree sounds like a good idea. (Ironically, I am allergic to trees, so it has to be a careful hug. : )

Back to the Earth. For all you faith-filled folks out there, we have this gift (our planet) from God, our Creator, Who made a big gamble putting us in charge as stewards.

In some places we have been good stewards in conservation of amazing natural resources (the Grand Canyon, Muir Woods, Yellowstone, Appalachia); but in other places we have failed, miserably.

Pollution fills our rivers & our skies. Greed has leveled beauty (strip mining, strip malls – ok, so I shop in these same malls, but do we really need so many?)  Water sources have dried up.

Then there’s Global Warming.  yeah, yeah – lots of hoopla on that one, but for real something must be done as our planet sickens from holes in the atmosphere.

…. and TREES ARE DYING.

Back to the faith- related (it is Sunday, afterall!)  Many commercially minded faith-filled folks look askance at leftie Tree Huggers & point to progress & jobs to justify the desecration of our planet.  Although daily livelihood IS important, we ARE stewards with responsibilities to look after creation’s resources surrounding us.

Psalm 8… check it out!

Look around… can you not be moved by our Creator’s handiwork? Trees so magnificent, seas so blue, hills so high, grass so green, flowers so SO beauteous in shades unseen.

Yes, I am thankful to God on this Earth Day for our planet & challenged to do more to conserve responsibly.

Let’s be about it, people. Our planet needs our help.

Think Green. Go Green. BE GREEN!

grace, peace & Tree Huggers (United for Change)

Virginia : )

p.s. if you’re looking for a good movie on this Earth Day evening, a few years ago my brother dragged me to see the remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still” – a truly terrible movie but appropriate for today.  (I got him back with the epic long flick “Australia” …)

Avatar is probably a better pick. When it came out we saw it on New Year’s Eve, which somehow seemed an appropriate way to launch into the New Year. A truly beautiful film & beautiful experience of, well, beautiful creation-ish entities. Ok, so it’s on another planet, but make the connection & look around our planet Earth to see our Heavenly Creator’s paintbrushes busy in the natural beauty around us, beneath us (ever been scuba diving around coral reefs?) & above us.

Happy Earth Day everyone!!!