Dear Earth, Dear Mother,

It is from you that all living things spring. You have nurtured so many varied communities of plants and animals; neighborhoods of symbiotic vitality and energy, every one interdependent on the other—each life maintained by the power of the sun, sustained by the glory of the rain; each life defined by the resources of the skies, the lands and the waters that give us birth, foster our existence and define our passing.

On this day, Earth Day, we honor you, and give our thanks for the beauty and the bounty you have bestowed upon us.

Dear Mother, we apologize for the greed and disrespect we humans have imposed on you—clear-cutting your forests, covering your prairies, draining your wetlands, dumping garbage in your oceans, polluting your air and extinguishing billions of plants and animals, all because of our self-centered exploitation.

On this day, we are reminded of the power of your nourishment.

The world has found a stillness, a quietness over the last two months. Your air has become cleaner, the voices of nature can again be heard and a calm can be felt from all corners of your magnificent planet.

On this Earth Day–and on every day—may human beings everywhere feel the inspiration to change our ways, to be renewed by the realization that we can exploit less and live better … allowing you, dear Mother, to continue providing a home for all living things, for generations to come, forever and ever.

Peace,

Tom Bedell