As we walk each day with the enormity of these times, with our unanswered questions, with our planetary fear and our hope may we turn to the Earth, to one another, and to our sacred traditions of story, song, ritual, and prayer for sustenance. May they sustain us on this fraught but faithful journey we are taking toward a more just, compassionate and life-sustaining world. As the bright days of summer soften and the abundance of the earth ripens into the harvest of fall, may we feel deep in our bones the beauty of our relatedness to all that is - our relatedness to the trees, the creatures, the mud and the stars.

If you can, we invite you to take a moment to set aside your computer, your phone, your to-do-list. Turn off the radio or the podcast. Go outside. Look around. As you are able, put your feet on the ground or your hand on the earth. Breath. Breathe a little more. Remember, that you belong to this beautiful world. Ground yourself in gratitude for this belonging. If it speaks to you, take in these prayerful words from our sister Joanna Macy, who says:

"In times of turmoil and danger, gratitude helps to steady and ground us. It brings us into presence, and our full presence is perhaps the greatest offering we can make to our world."

As we gather each week as a staff, we share our gratitude for one another and for you - this incredible community of people who cares so deeply and passionately about our sacred earth. Thank you for all the ways you are offering the gift of your presence to this precious, irreplaceable, and imperiled world.

In gratitude and solidarity,

Your NM-IPL Team