By Beth Sullivan
Those of us who are a bit older feel
the fleetness of the passing years. The little ones, however, feel
the time stretching too long from one year to the next. So much
happens in one year. So many changes. One thing that does remain
consistent, is that the time between Thanksgiving and the New Year is
a time of looking outward, thinking of what we have been given and of
what we can give in return.
For many of us with small children
in our lives, it is easy to give material items. There are amazing
new educational toys now, many based on science. There are
wonderful new books that explain life, diversity, fairness, and
kindness. We try to choose wisely.
But this year has made me, along
with many others, begin to seriously wonder what life will be like
for these children we cherish so much. There are so many frightening
scenarios: social, political or economic. But the one that gives me
the greatest fear is the environmental one. What will our Earth be
like in the next decades when our young children begin to take
leadership roles? More and more we see reports of warming, glaciers
melting, seas rising, and storms intensifying. We read of
extinctions of creatures we either never knew, or took for granted.
Maybe we, ourselves, don’t witness all of these. But what we do
witness is the loss of bees buzzing in our gardens; we notice fewer
birds, either in the woods, along the shore or even at our feeders.
We notice greater number of trees dying from disease or infestations.
We, who are a little older, notice these changes. Our children’s
children may never experience the same kind of nature that we did. We
didn’t experience the nature of generations before us. It makes
me sad.
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| Children merely need an opportunity and will rejoice in nature. |
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| The very youngest find happiness wandering with a friend. Photograph by S. McLarney. |
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| History is preserved here, but we don't know how long it will last. |
There is hope
Now, this is not meant to be a
Grinch tale of holiday woe. I am still a hopeful person. There are
so many amazing places to explore, miracles to witness, experiences
that we can share with our children to help them cherish what we have
come to know and appreciate. The gift of teaching love for our
Earth, the gift of experiences, great or small, are things we can
still give. These things don’t cost a lot; many are absolutely
free. Most don’t take a lot of time. Most do not require a great
deal of expertise. They require patience in the moment and foresight
to the future.
We all have the time to take a walk,
take a deep breath of clean air, and encourage a child to look deep
into a pool of water or listen to spring peepers. If you don’t
have a child in your life, maybe an elderly person would appreciate
the same opportunity. Maybe, most importantly, do it for yourself.
Pay attention to Nature. Notice the changes. Notice the very small
beauties close to our feet, and then look skyward and appreciate the
sky and clouds we see through the trees.
But here’s the catch: we need to
make sure these opportunities remain available for the future. We
need to pass on our experiences and love, so that long after we are
gone, there will remain people who remember, and places where they
themselves can be refreshed and give the gift to others.
Here in our small corner of the
world, we have the ability to change the way our future may look. We
live in an area of great diversity of habitat and great opportunities
to experience somewhat undisturbed nature. Organizations, like
Avalonia, are dedicated to preserving what we can for future
generations. Some of the areas are vast (by CT standards). Others
are small gems easily explored. Over the last half-century Avalonia
has protected over 4000 acres of land that will be an ever-present
gift for you to share with your children and beyond.
As we face an uncertain future of
changing climate that may indeed change the face of the land we love,
we give thanks to those who can join us in our efforts to protect
what we can, to preserve the waterways, the landscapes, the air we
breathe and to give the wildlife a home so it too can be part of a
future experience. We have to remain hopeful but act with urgency.
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| The joy of family explorations of a protected space is a great gift. |
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| The face of our landscape, especially the shoreline, is being changed. |
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| Those in college now will be making very hard decisions in a few years. |
Something for our children
We can give a
valuable gift to our own children by giving them a membership to
Avalonia, in this area, or another organization or land trust in your
own area if you are reading this from afar. A membership doesn’t
necessarily get you a mug, or a bag or a hat. We save our money to
support our mission to preserve, protect, and educate. A membership
for a family or a youngster can help begin the conversation about
being in touch with nature, being part of a larger effort, and
understanding the gifts that are present for all to enjoy, every day,
not just at the holidays. It can sustain their commitment to
watching and working toward a healthier environment.
It seems very fitting to me, that
just this week, young Greta Thunberg was named the Person of the Year
for 2019. I bet she spent a lot of her young life enjoying the gifts
of the Earth.
Wishing you all a joyous holiday
season, and a new year of peace and hope.
Beth
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| Together we can preserve the gift of place, so you can give the gift of time. |
Photographs by Beth Sullivan, unless
otherwise indicated.
