Caring for God’s Creation (Earth Day 22 April 2021)

I find it very fitting as I reflect on this Sunday to speak on my love and passion for nature and all living creatures within it. With both Earth Day approaching on Thursday next and the time I have spent this last week admiring creation, I can only imagine spending this blog in admiration for the beauty that I find around me each day.

My housemates can surely attest to my profound love of creation and my strong conservationist leanings. As someone who has studied Environmental Science throughout college and even had opportunities to participate in conservation movements in high school, it is not surprising how deeply I care for creation. I feel blest by the environments in which I grew up. I have very fond memories of going on biking trails through the Cleveland Metroparks, a magnificent set of 18 nature reserves spread out on over 24,000 acres of land across North Eastern Ohio. When I attended Saint Joseph Academy, a Catholic all-girls school that sat on top of a cliff overlooking the Rocky River that runs through the Metroparks, I would intentionally make my driving route go through the Metroparks and along the river. My passion for conservation grew in my Sophomore year at Saint Mary’s College when I enrolled in Sustainable Textiles and Sustainability at Saint Mary’s. Through courses such as these, I began to learn more about the beauty I always saw in the world around me and the urgency for humans to enact more sustainable measures.

I have previously mentioned my high school, Saint Joseph Academy, as helping me grow in love for the beauty of the world around me. One of the charisms of the founding body of Saint Joseph Academy, the Congregation of Saint Joseph or CSJ, is “Caring for God’s Creation.” In our four years at the Academy, students are encouraged to learn both inside and outside of class. We had a four-year-long project known as the “Faithfolio,” this project was a four-year blog where students would reflect on how her education through classwork, prayer, and active life in the community helped her grow in each of the four charisms. We learned about creation through science courses, experiential learning, and through the lens of Theology. This knowledge I gained from SJA developed even further at Saint Mary’s College, where I delved into learning about Sustainability and how I can care for creation.

You may be able to glean that I love being outdoors. In the past week, I have adventured out on hikes upwards of 10 miles just because I was so enthralled with the beauty which surrounded me. I will say that I am easily distracted by the beauty within my scenic home here in Wexford. Walking distance from small mountain trails and beautiful ocean views, I feel at home within the beauty of nature in Ireland. My housemate can attest how I get very caught up in nature around me, from pointing out every bumblebee I see to running up the mountain top to see the world below. On Monday, I went walking for well over 3 hours simply because I hadn’t had enough of the natural world around me.

Here in Wexford, surrounded by nature, it can be easy to feel God’s presence. I see the beauty of God’s creation, from the birds chirping outside my window in the morning to the sun setting over the mountains in the distance. My love for nature extends to all things living great and small. I have mentioned my admiration for bumblebees, which is fitting as my moniker is AniBEE. This bond seems to be mutual as twice now since I arrived in Ireland, a bee has snuck into my room. Also, since I arrived in Wexford, I have been thoroughly lucky to have housemates who will let me ramble on about nature. Particularly some of my favorite topics include wind turbines, urban farms, and recently the idea of rewilding the world. The latter I learned about this year from a most generous Christmas present from Emma Beaudoin. The book is Sir David Attenborough’s “A Life on Our Planet.” This masterfully crafted text included a witness statement from Sir Attenborough’s life as a natural historian and his vision for the world if we do not actively change our behavior. I most certainly could and would ramble on about this book for multiple pages and, I will try to refrain from doing so now. But in the light of the very dire situation we face to save our planet, David Attenborough offers hope and encouragement.

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty, the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.” – A Life On Our Planet

As I reflect on the beauty of nature and all beings within, I do so with a heavy heart. In August 2019, I rescued a black and white Guinea Pig and named her Oreo. She quickly stole my heart with her unconditional love for me and carrots. She would wake me consistently every morning around 6 am for her vitamin C tablet and would be squealing with glee when I would enter a room. She was so full of personality and was a fearless little ball of fluff. She would let me put hats I had knitted on her at Christmas time and even let me dress her up at Halloween. When I first brought her home, I was worried that she would be afraid of the four cats that live there. I initially tried to keep them separate but would soon learn that Oreo just loved seeing the cats. I think the cats were more afraid of her excitement to see them. Oreo was an abundantly loved Guinea Pig.

My mother and younger brother so graciously offered to care for Oreo while I am in Ireland and my sister-in-law even gave me a pet camera so that I could see Oreo whenever I want. My mom has cared so very deeply for Oreo and taken impeccable care of her. In the past month, my mom even researched and rescued another Guinea Pig for Oreo. It is true that Guinea Pigs are social creatures and do best in bonded pairs. The new piggys’ name is Buckeye, and she made Oreo very happy. The two would sleep side by side and be constantly squeaking with each other. Though they only knew each other for about a month, it is clear that they had become great pals.

It is, therefore, with a heavy heart that I learned yesterday that Oreo passed suddenly of cancer. She was slightly under two years old, which is about two years shorter than the average life expectancy of Guinea Pigs. Though I am sad about losing Oreo, I know that she lived a happy life and am so glad I got to know her and love her.

It is all a part of living in Care for God’s Creation. Caring for nature so intrinsically connects you with the emotions of its suffering. Every living thing in nature is so interconnected, yet humanity does have the most unique ability to think and feel freely. This freedom allows humans to choose how to care for creation. We have a responsibility to care for God’s creation. However, it is hard to care for something we do not know or experience. Sir David Attenborough has these thoughts on educating people to care for creation.

“No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced.” – A Life On Our Planet

“Bringing nature into the classroom can kindle a fascination and passion for the diversity of life on earth and can motivate a sense of responsibility to safeguard it.” – A Life On Our Planet

Getting out and being active in nature and learning about the natural world around us is probably the best way we can care for creation this Earth Day. The more we are a part of nature, and the more we know about it, the easier it will be to listen to and care for her needs.