God and Nature

The past two weeks have been devoted to the God and Nature course. I was the TA for the first week then Stephen did the second. I have been looking forward to being the TA for Steven Bouma-Prediger ever since I read his book “For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care” years ago with CCSP. I’m happy to report that he’s a lovely person with lots of wisdom and kindness to share. It was also nice to have a course with more of the reading and discussion model. I love how the block schedule for courses helps each week feel a bit different from the previous one.

Although I loved getting to learn alongside the students, I was ready to go back to being the RA. The flexibility of schedule, evenings to myself, and the chance to get a little more gardening are great. I sometimes frolic around the backyard in the evenings while all the students are busy in class. 😉 I’m so pleased we’ve still got some flowers and tomatoes going on in the backyard even though it’s getting colder! The next challenge is planning our winter crops and projects…

I feel the need to confess here, lest you get the idea that I am balancing starting a garden and doing my other work effortlessly. I have not been paying nearly as much attention to the garden as I would like to this semester. I find myself in a pattern of overwhelm and that leads to postponing simple garden tasks until they are practically screaming for my attention. If you look behind the sunflower you can see an unhappy tomato plant, parsley way past its prime, and a very weedy arugula bed… I am learning to make a tiny amount of progress a day and celebrate the abundance that persists despite a few weeds and caterpillar attacks. And I’m grateful for friends and mentors who remind me that even a small garden is an act of resistance.

Speaking of friends, we had Anna and Emily visit Kaikōura last week! It had been three years since their semester got cut short by covid and we said a rushed goodbye. What a warm welcome back to Kaikōura they received! Let’s just say happy tears were shed… I’m super grateful I got to spend a lot of last Saturday with them. We got breakfast, kayaked with dolphins, ate fish and chips, and watched the sunset together. It filled my heart to see these dear ones again!

The week ended with a sunrise opportunity to release some newly fledged Kaikōura tītī into the ocean. It is their first encounter with the massive ocean where they’ll spend much of their time! It’s pretty magical to witness. I hope these birds find all the nourishment and favorable winds that they need! It will be quite a while before they return in order to breed here.

Thanks for reading! I hope the photos and stories brought a little joy into your day. 🙂