Earthcare

If your mail box is anything like mine these days it’s bursting with letters asking you to be part of just about every good cause possible!  Oh to win the lottery and be able to give each of them a piece of the pie…but the chances of that are very slim.

Usually I stack them up and pick out a couple to support around Christmas time…and conclude with a prayer that those with deeper pockets than mine will fill in the gap. This year I decided to enlist the help of my class of 5th grade boys in making the decision with me. They were all more than ready to help! It proved a good exercise in letter writing and composing a persuasive speeches. And that they did!

Before them lay a multitude of brochures from St Vincent de Paul to the Sierra Club to the Paralyzed Veterans of America. They had to read the fine print and write up a convincing speech on their choice. In no time they had their speeches written and delivered them at the podium with a passion that surprised me! With the exception of St Vincent de Paul, all of their choices were related to caring for the Earth. Certainly I could stump them with a speech to enlist their support for high school scholarships for Hispanics (which all are). They resisted. “Very good speech,” one said, “but it is an emergency to care for our Earth right now.”  The rest applauded and cheered him!

This year the “winners” are the Sierra Club and the “Doghouse”- a place that heals, rehabilitates strays and gives them to families who could otherwise not afford them.I hope you find the commitment of these youngsters to Earth care as inspiring as I do. Indeed, the Franciscan spirit is alive in them!