June Cotner - Earth Blessings: Prayers, Poems and Meditations

EARTH
BLESSINGS

Also by June Cotner

Amazing Graces
Animal Blessings
Baby Blessings
Back to Joy
Bedside Prayers
Bless the Beasts
Bless the Day
Christmas Blessings
Comfort Prayers
Dog Blessings
Family Celebrations
Forever in Love
Garden Blessings
Get Well Wishes
Graces
Gratitude Prayers
Heal Your Soul,Heal the World
The Home Design Handbook
House Blessings
Looking for God in All the Right Places
Miracles of Motherhood
Mothers and Daughters
Pocket Prayers
Say a Little Prayer: A Journal
Serenity Prayers
Soar! Follow Your Dreams
Teen Sunshine Reflections
To Have and To Hold
Toasts
We Are Women
Wedding Blessings
Wishing You Well

EARTH
BLESSINGS

PRAYERS, POEMS AND MEDITATIONS

BY JUNE COTNER

Copyright 2016 by June Cotner.

All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, or television, online reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by Viva Editions, an imprint of Start Midnight, LLC, 101 Hudson Street, 37th Floor, Suite 3705, Jersey City, NJ 07302

Printed in the United States.
Cover design: Scott Idleman/Blink
Cover photograph: iStock
Text design: Frank Wiedemann

First Edition.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Trade paper ISBN: 978-1-63228-023-7
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63228-027-5

DEDICATION

For Brenda Knight
Thanks so much for believing in the importance
of publishing Earth Blessings.

For the staff of Viva Editions
Im deeply grateful for your work in support of this book.

There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.

MARSHALL MCLUHAN

Contents

Letter to Readers

A s a child I was always drawn to the outdoorsas an adult, I still am! Some of the most memorable times in my life have been spent surrounded by nature. To this day, I continue to hike regularlyand I honestly dont know where I would be without the solace of wilderness.

But we dont need to be in the wilderness to experience the beauty of nature. At home, I continue to be astonished by the everyday marvels that surround mebirds, plants, animals, sky, sunshine, and moonlight. These things serve as reminders that we can carry nature with us wherever we go.

It was the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson that first drew my attention to the fragile nature of the environment. I read it in college and her words opened my mind to the notion that human actions could affect the very ecosystems upon which our lives depend.

Where would we be if we did not have Mother Earth to rely upon? How can we view humanity, if not through the lens that is the world around us? And what does the state of the world today say to our communities and to our children?

It is my belief that the sacred can be found not in things abstract and ethereal, but in the earth itself. I hope that, by reading this anthology, we may all come to realize what a vital place the earth holds, not only in our relationships with one another, but in our relationships with the world we live in.

Many books have been written on the practical aspects of living green, but only a few focus on the spiritual. I set out to create a book that would be an ecological celebration, complete with inspiring poems, interfaith prayers, and spiritual prose. In Earth Blessings, I have chosen selections from over ten years worth of collected material, pieces that authentically speak to the earth and to the intricate ties that bind us to it.

I have been compiling anthologies for twenty years and my contributors now number over nine hundred. The inclusion of contemporary writers, such as Kelly Cherry, Barbara Crooker, Michael S. Glaser, and Ellen Bass, provides a freshness and originality that is not found in other collections. In addition, I have included wisdom from environmental advocates such as Rachel Carson, Al Gore, Tom Hayden, Bill McKibben, and John Muir (among others); as well as classic pieces by well-known authors such as John Burroughs, John Keats, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Walt Whitman.

As Henry David Thoreau said, Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around. I hope this book will encourage us to look more deeply at our unique planet with a global awareness and respect, to gently remind us to do our part in sustaining an environmentally friendly lifestyle, and to cherish Earth for the presence of the divine that appears to us through the natural world.

June Cotner
P.O.Box 2765
Poulsbo, WA 98370
www.junecotner.com

Thanks

I was thrilled to find my publisher, Brenda Knight, who shared my vision for this book and was so excited to acquire it! My profound gratitude is reflected in my dedication page to Brenda and her excellent staff at Viva Editions.

This book would have not become a reality without the support of my two excellent literary agents, Denise Marcil and Anne Marie OFarrell, at Marcil-OFarrell Literary. Denise, thanks for believing in this book for more than a decade. Anne Marie, thank you for your for help in bringing this book to Viva Editions. I continue to be inspired and energized by both of you. As agents and as friends, I deeply appreciate your honest feedback and insightful suggestions that make my anthologies stronger. Its so much fun to brainstorm with both of you!

For the contributors to Earth Blessings, I have worked with some of you for twenty years when your poems and prayers were included in my first two collections, Graces and Bedside Prayers (both published by HarperOne). Kelly Cherry, Barbara Crooker, Corrine De Winter, Susan J. Erickson, Theresa Mary Grass, Maryanne Hannan, C. David Hay, Shirley Kobar, Arlene Gay Levine, Gary E. McCormick, Hilda Lachney Sanderson, and Joanna M. Westonwe go back for two decades! Im always so thrilled to find a publisher who can showcase your fine work.

For the staff at Viva Editions, I appreciate how hard you work to design such beautiful books. Your devotion to the mission of creating books for vivacious living is reflected by the considerable time you take to make these books successful. Im glad to be on your team!

My heartfelt gratitude goes to my husband, Jim Graves, and my many relatives and friends who encourage and inspire me every day.

And lastly, Im grateful to God who has given me a career I love and has put me in touch with so many wonderful contributors and resources which enable me to bring inspirational collections into the world.