this is an excerpt from one of my favorite books, that features an article called 'touching the earth" quite aligned with my spiritual relation with nature. here is goes.
"when we love the earth, we are able to love ourselves more fully. i believe this. the ancestors taught me it was so. as a child i loved playing in dirt, in that rich kentucky soil, that was a source of life. before i understood anything about the pain and exploitation of the southern system sharecropping, i understood that grown-up black folks loved that land. i could stand with my grandfather daddy jerry and look out at a field of growing vegetables, tomatoes, corn, collards, and know that this was his handiwork. i could see the look of pride on his face as i expressed wonder and awe at the magic of growing things."
(bell hooks- sisters of the yam)
book pictured with an heirloom afghan from my great-grandmother of north carolina roots and okra i grew last summer.