Saturday, April 16, 2011

A to Z Challenge

A Tribute to the letter N

This afternoon, we were listening to the radio and "Circle of Life" was playing. My husband said that the voice sounded very familiar and like it was a well known artist. I didn't know who it was.  Then my daughter said that it was Elton John. She said that if it's Circle of Life, it has to be Elton John. To me the term circle of life brings back memories of my father working in our backyard and talking to the man who delivered the dirt and the mulch and discussing the circle of life. They would discuss how nature works, how every year they plant vegetable plants and vines and every year the same plants start becoming part of earth and dirt. I always used to get upset over all that.
In Sunday school we learned that nature is a servant of man (human beings.) I felt sad about the fact that nature has to be our servant. Then I was told by a friend of my grandmother that sometimes Sunday school teachers do not know how to best teach the realities of life. She always used to help me with solving mind boggling issues. I loved plants and flowers and fruits and vegetables hanging from the plants. I could not imagine them to be our servants. So when I was told that we are just as much servants and caretakers of nature as it is of us, it made me feel better. It made my mom feel better too.There was only fifteen years of an age difference between my mom and me. So the talk would be for both of us.
In college, in our Botany lecture we were told that "Nature in its ministry to man is not only the material, but is also the process and the result."  We generally would jot down things and elaborate. I had a lot of help with that. My parents, my grandmother and our housekeeper taught me about how water evaporates from the seas and falls back on the Earth as rain, how plants use the rainwater and sometime the same rain would travel in clouds to distant lands and fall off as snow. It was hard to believe but I see it here in New York every winter.
My thirst of wanting to learn about Nature will probably be in me until my last breath. Today I read nature blogs, (Especially Desert Canyon Living), and thanks to the internet, I learn and enjoy so much. We did get the National Geographic for sometime but when we got to see the same people who work for the magazine presenting shows on the television we stopped buying the magazine.
Some old fashioned apothecaries say that  the healing powers of  nature are only limited by man's idleness. My mom told us that meditation is a natural way of healing and repairing our body's wear and tear. Appreciating nature is a way of meditation. Baby animals, flowers, seagulls, oceans, birds flying in an order, mountains - the sources are unlimited. She said that it gives our mind a break as well.
I like to listen to what William Wordsworth said  "Let Nature be your teacher."

11 comments:

Inger said...

I loved this post and thank you for mentioning mine. I agree that nature has healing powers, you just have to let go and let it heal you. In Sweden we learn to respect and enjoy nature from a very young age. I have taken that with me here, after many years in a large city, and I feel the power of nature all around me. Thanks, Inger

Hope said...

wonderful write! thank you for sharing your thoughts and personal experiences. Love the quote
I too believe in the healing powers of nature.

thank you Munir!

Lisa said...

Wonderful Munir. Let there be signs in God's creation.

Anonymous said...

So true what Wordsworth said. It has taught me so much. In it's stillness and silences we can learn from nature. Beautiful writing. Thank you so much for visiting my blog. It means alot to me x

Hold my hand: a social worker's blog said...

Great post, Munir.

Another nice blog that you might enjoy is Hilary's blog at http://positiveletters.blogspot.com/

Hilary lives in UK, and posts a lot about nature. Very interesting.

Doris

Monalisa said...

I am reminded of my childhood. I was desperately trying to make a garden at home. But it simply won't grow as i wanted. The first lesson i then learnt from nature was, determination, hardwork alone can't create something, to make life bloom with your hands, you need some magic to play through your fingers, and that magic is God!

My father still makes fun of me, that those days i would plant a tender branch i arrange from some house nearby, plant it my garden and after 3-4 days dig in to see if it has developed roots! Oh terrible!

Step-parent's Cove said...

"Let Nature be your teacher," so true!

Tracy said...

Munir,
I think this is a great post...If observing nature is a form of meditation then I must be meditating all the time; I love spending time outside just watching.
Thanks for your kind comments on my blog. We do not have school tomorrow because of the downed power lines which is a good thing until we have to make it up!
Enjoy your evening!

Hold my hand: a social worker's blog said...

Munir,

I've given you the Kreativ Blogger Award!

Doris

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Munir .. how lovely to meet you and thank you for coming over on Doris' recommendation.

This post is amazing - so true - I love your last paragraph about meditation being nature's way of healing and repairing our body, while we give our mind a break appreciating nature .. that makes so much sense.

Love your blog .. great to be here .. and see you around .. all the best - Hilary

NormalToEatPB said...

Wow, I never took Botany, but I've always loved plants and nature - everything except the insects :)