Tuesday, October 30, 2012

SISTER MIRIAM

Sister Miriam truly is an inspiration to all who have a passion for the environment. She is not only a source of knowledge about the religious view on sustaining the environment, but she is also a scholar of the sciences. As a fellow believer in the power of nature, I look to Sister Miriam as a guide and role model to the type of person I want to be in the future. I appreciated her goals of educating people and  providing a sanctuary to all living things. Sister Miriam's way of life emphasized her participation in the green revolution and her attempt to create a more sustainable life style. Her home is made out of straw, she uses a composting toilet, has a grey water system, and is currently focusing on implementing a  furnace that runs on a particular type of grass. For a person her age, it is not common to see someone using these recent technologies to the fullest and having so much knowledge on the products themselves. By her making these differences in her present lifestyle, she is inspiring the minds of us, the future. My favorite activity of the trip was when we had half an hour to pick a spot and be a part of nature. Throughout that time Sister Miriam wanted us to write on a stone a hope for the future. After learning about and spending a little while on the farm I wrote on my stone to "BE SIMPLE". This is a message that Sister Miriam taught me through her way of life. Her life of simplicity not only provides her happiness but is also great for the environment. After writing on our stones we had a ceremony and placed them in a circle under a tree. This location is where everyone who had visited the farm wrote their hopes for future generations. After this ceremony it became clear that Sister Miriam really is making a difference for the future of the planet. She opens people's eyes to new ideas and challenges them to make a difference in the world like she does every day. 

2 comments:

  1. Sister Miriam was incredibly impressive. The combination of passion, education, and spirituality was perfect blend. Plus when you add in her calm voice and caring demeanor - what is not to love?! The homes felt so restorative and relaxing and I loved her point that it should feel this way as nature is our home and we feel peaceful when we are at home.

    Your stone sounds perfect - simplicity. It's such an easy goal but remarkable hard to achieve. I'm curious to hear people's thoughts on some small ways we can live more simply while at college.

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  2. I also loved the trip to Genesis Farm and I enjoyed hearing the brilliance and wisdom that came out of Sister Miriam's mouth. The woman is truly remarkable. I can tell that she truly does care about the environment because while many people say they want to make an effort to reduce carbon emissions or halt global warming, Sister Miriam truly puts those desires into practice daily. I mean her house is made of hay bales: if anyone can think of a more sustainable and earth-conscious way to build a house, I'll pay you. What I enjoyed the most about the trip was when Sister Miriam spoke about how we are the earth in the form of humans just as trees are the earth in the form of trees. I'd never thought of it that way, but when you sit and ponder the brilliance that she just spoke, it makes total sense. It makes me wonder, if this is true, which I totally believe it is, why aren't people trying to do their part in protecting the earth that gives back to us day after day? I feel like if more people could visit Sister Miriam, see the way she lives, and hear the genius that she gifts to us, the environmental movement would explode with new supporters.

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