God is Our Father, But the Earth is our Mother

The Great Spirit is in all things, he is in the air we breathe. The Great Spirit is our Father, but the Earth is our Mother.  She nourishes us, that which we put into the ground she returns to us.... - Big Thunder (Bedagi) Wabanaki Algonquin

I must have been a farmer in a former life, if you believe in such things.  Corn and hay fields surround the college where I work, and when I drive by and see them I feel as if I have just come home.  Right now they are just plowed fields, but the fresh black earth is truly beautiful in my eyes.  I live in the suburbs but often drive out to the country and look around.  I love the way fields look in the fall, they have been harvested and turned over to rest in preparation for the coming winter. 

Corn is a domesticated crop of the Americas adopted from maize agriculture from Native Americans.  Of course they used corn, and every component of it, not only for nourishment, but for practical items as well, such as mats, baskets, and even moccasins, all made of corn husks.  What wise and incredibly purposeful the Native Americans were, in every way.

My mother loved all things Native American and southwest.  It was evident in every area of her life; the way she decorated her home, her clothes, her jewelry, and the food she prepared.  I never really appreciated her love for such things until she passed away and I inherited so much of what she had.  I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of the pottery, books, dolls, and miscellaneous items that she loved.  Now I find myself drawn to this “style” more and more!

She truly gave me, however, her love of gardening.  She had the kind of garden that people would stop to gawk at when driving by.  There were no fences hiding her garden, its beauty extended out for all the neighbors and those who passed by to see.  She grew just about every vegetable found in a produce department, including corn!  I also remember rose bushes bordering the house by the garden and pear trees hovering close by.  The quote “In search of my mother’s garden, I found my own” surely rings true in my life.  I could only hope to have half the garden it seems she so effortlessly grew.  At dinnertime she would send us out to pick fresh lettuce and vegetables for a salad and she canned all summer so we would have fresh, home-grown foods for the winter.  I suspect Mom must have had a little Native American blood in her... she was wise, prudent, and very purposeful in all her endeavors.

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."  -Genesis 2:15