July/August 2020 (Vol. XXXIII, No. 7)

Dear Friends ~ Years ago, a friend made us a gift, a calligraphed beginning of a prayer attributed to Pierre Teilhard de Jardin: "Above all, trust in the slow work of God." From a central spot in our dining room, these words reached out to me often while raising a large family and working with kids. The prayer calls to me now as the heat of July and August arrives on the tails of righteous anger, fires of social unrest, and the terrible toll and world-wide anxiety surrounding Covid-19. What can we parents, grandparents, educators, pastors, ordinary humans do for our world's children?

We can turn to our Mother, the Earth, to soothe, amuse, and educate us in the truly slow work of God... Carry babies out to sing good night to the stars, explore streams, paths, and backyards where ants can be followed in their steady march to provide for their families...Find wild places, care for house-bound flower pots, grow veggies... Collect buttercups and smooth, multi-hued stones...Walk silently, even bravely...Splash noisily in streams and puddles... Look up at the remarkably blue sky revealing benefits of reduced emissions in a slower world...Look down... Look everywhere... Breathe deeply, exercise wonder...Find a three-year-old to lead the way... Invite a teen...Be amazed.

Maria Montessori, long ago, understood the power of wonder to anchor, soothe and motivate children. We can, too. Indeed, we must. ~Mary Ann