Recently, I have been working more intentionally to practice my faith. I have been bullet journaling and that helps me to prioritize those things that I want to spend more time on. I have set for myself some personal goals and intentions. This way I can look back at them each day (or week as it sometimes goes) and evauluate areas where I want to make certain I am spending my precious resource of time.
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Items that I have listed as being improtant to me are reading the Bible, praying the Daily Office, gaining new knoweldge and spending time with my family. Certainly these are areas that I need to work on, and they will benefit me. I wonder if god makes lists of things that god wants to work more intentionally on? What does god think about all our comings, goings and lists? Finally, I wonder since we are created in the image of god, does god feel busy sometimes? I would imagine that being 3 in 1 would help with the to do lists and busyness, but I guess that my small human capacity for thought about god's comings, goings and ponderings is just that, small.

I pray that I 

The day is past and the sky draws dim. Much has happened, but not much that is worth recounting...
           except for the thought of being made know
What does it mean to "be made known"?
Does this mean there is complete understanding, or could it be that just for a moment there was recognition and fleeting knowledge,
          or it is just the tip of the iceberg that lies beneath the surface waiting to be explored; an awakening of knowledge that grows and consumes.
Knowledge that as it continues to be made known over and over will slowly burst forth in a full and melodic symphony of experience that caresses the listener,
But time fades away and the light rests its head for the eve, the time for stillness is at hand.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. Genesis 1:31

So I have a theory... maybe the world is trying to take care of itself, and the only way that it can do this is by eliminating the threat: humans? This seems like it might make a good sci-fi novel. As the earth fights to stay alive, humans threaten to destroy it all by their addiction to consumerism and single serve items. How will the story end? Maybe with a new beginning?

It seems to me that the world would be just fine without us, it would probably actually do much better!! However, that is not what I think God had in mind on the sixth day of creation. When doing a quick google search, you can find out that carbon emissions are down since we have all been social distancing, nitrogen dioxide emissions have dropped over Italy and the consumption of coal in China is markedly down from the same period  as last year. But this doesn't mean that global warming is solved! It doesn't mean that we are in the clear or that we just go back to the way things were in the United States before the corona virus!! What it might mean is that we should think more deeply about our role in ensuring the earth not only survives but thrives.

Earth Day during a pandemic could teach us something; it could show us a different way to live, while letting the Earth live. Everything has slowed down, there is less going and much, much more staying. People are outside walking and enjoying their own yards. While we are making environmental strides in this time, it is certainly not due to a focused effort. No, it is just a side effect of our current situation. However, we can take note of the small changes and the effects on our planet. I can't even begin to imagine how many more styrofoam containers have been placed in garbage bins and will soon be headed to a landfill in Somewhere, USA since many have been ordering out. We are a very bewildering species, full of complexity, twists and turns. But, we are a divine creation, made in the image of god. So I believe we are up to the challenge.

So this Earth Day, breathe in the fresh (less polluted air), take in the colors of spring and new life that come with the Easter season and enjoy a walk down the street instead of a drive into work. Enjoy the day and consider how you might continue to live out Earth Day beyond covid-19 and social distancing. Consider what we might learn from slowing down and staying; much, much more staying. What is there to learn? What might God want us to take with us as we return to "normal." Maybe we could make a new normal for ourselves and our planet?