Not long ago my youngest fair-haired grandson was having an intellectual conversation with me about the benefits of recycling.

He wanted to know why I didn’t bother to do it.  I proceeded to tell him years ago when we lived on a small farm we did recycle and compost, and all the other things you do when “living on the land.” but  he wasn’t satisfied with my answer and he wanted to know why I didn’t do it now and he proceeded to tell me all the reasons I should.

But he wasn’t satisfied with my answer. He wanted to know why I didn’t do it now and he proceeded to tell me all the reasons that I should.

His mother, Andrea, has always been “connected to the earth.” She has always loved the outdoors and the various adventures that take her off the beaten path and into the woods. She is working on a Master’s degree at the Institute for Sustainable Practice—in layman’s terms that means care of the earth socially, economically, and environmentally.

As I have watched her recycle for years, I have been more than critical of the recycling bins at her back-door overflowing, waiting to be dumped off at the Recycle Center.

But my finger would always point back at me and my unwillingness to take care of the earth even in a small way like recycling.

So out of guilt, I headed out to Target on Saturday to purchase my recycling bins—I found what I wanted at the right price.

I drug the bins to check out and had to pull them out of the shopping cart, only to discover they were stuck. So when I yanked on the bins they hit me in the face across my cheekbone and nose. For a few short seconds, I thought I had broken my face and almost passed out from pain.

But I continued to press through until I got home only to hear my husband displeased over doing something so stupid as recycling “one more time.”

To get to the heart of the matter, I miss our little farm where we marveled at the massive trees and rolling hills, the well-tended garden plot with compost bin nearby, the wild turkey roaming freely and the deer seeking water at the creek in front of the house at dawn.

 

A few weeks ago a Park Ranger told me that the “earth was calling me” since I dream of being back on the land morning and night. 

Since I am not on the “land” today and stuck with a home owner’s association breathing down our necks about every move we make on our little plot of land, I guess recycling is about as good as it gets for now in finding a way to “protect Mother Earth.”

We don’t have to be tree huggers to do our part to take care of the Earth, but it would be good if we did something.

My bins are lined on the floor of my pantry filling up daily with things that can be recycled to help protect our earth.  My only regret is I waited so long to take responsibility for my part in taking care of God’s marvelous creation—Mother Earth.

Another thing I miss is the swing on the big wrap-around porch where I met with God “morning by morning” and heard Him whisper His tender mercies “day by day.” I have a new book entitled Whispers of the Spirit. I love for you to check it out. You can buy it on my website or on Amazon.

Do you recycle? How do you protect the earth? If your recycling is not picked up by your city or municipality, this website will help you find a recycling center near you.