Janet Twomey sent ECI this update:
It seems the lockdown has slowed so many of us down. Running and racing from one task to another and perhaps over-committing to pieces of work or social engagements had become the norm for many people. There were hardly enough hours in the day to get all the things on our endless to-do lists done. Then all of a sudden we were forced to stay at home, within the confines of our homes and if we were lucky, our gardens. We now had all the time in the world to literally smell the roses and to witness the exciting activities of our feathered friends! In a sense, these past numbers of weeks have allowed us to rediscover nature. The picture here is of a leaf skeleton, which was found in the garden of a colleague in East Cork.
I received it as an attachment to a message with a note, “I think you’d like this”. I couldn’t quite make it out at first. It was only when I looked closer I saw the frame of a leave without the greenery. It reminded me of the current situation in which we find ourselves. We too have sort of been stripped of our human greenery, all those things we have taken for granted – travelling to our jobs, meetings our friends for coffee and inviting family members for dinner, but what remains, like the leaf, is our true essence. That can never be taken from us. As Pope Francis reminds us in his letter about caring for our earth “Nature is a constant source of wonder and awe” (LS85).
Although the Eco Group in the Parish of Our Lady and St. John in Carrigaline haven’t been able to meet in the past number of months, we stay connected by email. Group members have been involved in a number of activities. Before the lockdown, the Terracycle initiative being run out of our Parish Centre was very successful seeing lots of people dropping off their biscuit and crisp packages which aren’t accepted through the usual recycling. Group members were involved in the organisation of a public meeting – ‘Climate Change: the challenge for Carrigaline’ in the local community centre. The topics for discussion on the evening were energy, waste, transport, biodiversity and local action. We also participated in the ‘Love Letter to the Earth’ online event organised by Trocaire to mark the 5th Anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’. Joanne has also been involved in SECAD My Town My Plan workshop and is currently preparing a proposal for more sustainable transport in our town. We look forward to meeting as a group again later in the year!
