A Dream…A Vision…An Invitation

tiny black tadpoles wriggling and wiggling in a cold clear stream…a blaze of yellow marsh marigolds against still-bare branches…a family of geese in a straight line quietly paddling by…the brilliant gold of sunlight sparkling on gently flowing water…tiny footprints of unknown travelers in the snow…the hush of the meadow at midday…

Our sacred text begins with the story of creation; all around us is created before we ever come into being. The Universe in which we live is the source of all we need to maintain our physical being here on Earth, the source of all we need to maintain our spiritual being. One way or another, the air, the plants, and the animals, the water, the rocks and the stars, the Unknowable give us strength, courage, hope, comfort, peace, and energy, and so much more; heal us from depression, ADHD, high blood pressure, and so much more; touch our hearts, our souls, and our innermost being…when we allow them.

We share this planet with every other human being.

Every culture has its own creation myth.

Every tradition speaks of the sacredness of the Earth.

It is G!d's gift.

We are farther and farther away from that source of sacredness;

we can spend whole days not even noticing it.

And so, this is my vision, this is dream:

My dream is of a tract of land somewhere in the MetroWest Boston area – a tract of land that will be left wild and preserved, and will become a place where all of us – no matter what our faith tradition or lack thereof – will be able to go to connect our religion, our spirituality, and our soul to the natural world, and through building and strengthening that connection, will be renewed, refreshed, and reinvigorated, so that we will feel more able to go forth and greet the day, with all it will bring – and that all of this will increase our ability to – in some small way – heal the pain and the sadness and the hurt and the fear, the hunger, the homelessness, and the anger, that are also so much a part of this world in which we live. I dream of a place where we will speak peacefully to each other, for we will know that we stand on sacred ground; we will know that G!d – however we understand or don’t understand It – is in this place. I dream of a center for religion and spirituality and nature somewhere in this area.

This is my vision. This is my dream. It is a dream that I hope will one day be a reality. But, I cannot bring it into being it alone. And so, I am sending this email. I am sending this invitation: If you are interested in helping me realize this dream, please write to me and let me know. If you know some one who might be interested, please forward this email to them. Once I hear from a few people, I will be in touch, and we will make a decision together as to our next step.

I have no doubt that with time our numbers will grow, and that one day this dream will come true. That is what dreams are for – to be realized.

Todah, Shukran, Thank You.

Shalom, Salaam, Peace.

Katy

January 7, 2009