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Michael's avatar

A lovely vision, Kathleen, from a lovely writer. Mike Shanahan in his excellent Substack wrote recently about an idea that fits in with your love of the native peoples and their wisdom. It's about biodiversity and legally protected Sacred Forests. Where are our Sacred Forests in this country? Mike cited an article in a respected science journal that looks at contemporary such forests:

https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13055

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Michael's avatar

And they not only protect biodiversity, but: "Additionally, sacred forests act as a setting for spiritual, religious, and cultural activities such as prayer, ceremony, and connecting with ancestors (Lynch et al., 2018; Ma et al., 2022)."

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Kathleen Sullivan's avatar

Oh yes, it's hard to have sacred ceremony in cities, I think. Though I haven't lived in a city for 50 years. I hope you are feeling well these days, Michael. You sound all sparkly and spunky. It must be the kale.

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Michael's avatar

No, not the Kale!- my fear food comes approaching, making a scary squishy sound! When I read about the sacred forests I immediately thought about you. Doing okay for the most part (if we ignore minor annoyances like passing out syncope and other trivia!) Hope you are doing well too!

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Laura Kerr's avatar

Wonderful story- you replaced an old story with a new one, just as you encouraged us all to do in your last post! Thanks for the beautiful example and inspiration. Happy birthday, oh wise elder! 🎉

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Kathleen Sullivan's avatar

Thanks, Laura! Writing stories and being in connection with people like you keeps me from despair.

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Judith's avatar

Beautiful, Kathleen! Happy Birthday! 🎁🎂

You are a gift to us!

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Marilyn Moss Rockefeller's avatar

If only...

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james economou's avatar

Beautifully expressed. Thanks, Kathleen

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Robert Weiss's avatar

Beautiful vision but totally unrealistic

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Laura Kerr's avatar

Today’s poem (1/9) on The Slowdown (an APR show, I think, hosted by poet Major Jackson), made me think of you. “The Book of Barely Imagined Beings” by Ailish Hopper.

☮️

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Laura Kerr's avatar

The older I get (no youngster here) the more I viscerally understand it’s all about those connections and love. Keep writing and connecting, for yourself and for those who feel a connection to you! ☮️❄️💕

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