Michigan, like most states in the Great Lakes region, is transitioning from the manufacturing mecca of the 1900s to an economically vibrant, safe, healthy and just place to call home. All our cities are in various stages along that journey, but few have my respect and admiration like Muskegon. Formerly an industrial city with one of the forty-three most toxic harbors in the Great Lakes, it is well on its way to being removed from that list of environmentally degraded waterways and evolving into an ideal destination for outdoor enthusiasts. 
 
Join musicians Ruth and Max Bloomquist and me as we share our love for this special place, a place that gives me hope for the transformation of all communities in the region. And when you visit, be sure to “wave and blow a kiss to Bicycle Bob.” (?? Listen to the video to learn more!)  And while you're on the Listening to the Voices of Water channel, consider taking another five minutes to listen to their inspiring song, "Michigan Girl."

​To be a part of the West Michigan's transition, consider making a donation to help purchase 43 acres of forested dunes to add to the Flower Creek Dunes Nature Preserve in Muskegon County at: 

​In a book rich with metaphors, award-winning English teacher Eric Stemle describes how to listen—not just with one’s ears, but with a mind that savors every word, with eyes searching for the unspoken, and most importantly, with a heart that is non-judgmental and accepting, willing to love, unconditionally, and learn with every student in the classroom. 
 
While targeted to education majors and new teachers, I Was Not the Blossom: Growing with Your Students in a Nurturing Classroom, offers insight into what it means to be in relationships that create possibilities and paint the world with hope.
 
What if all of us could do just that? What if we cared less about always being “correct,” or being “the star” and more about creating a robust, colorful garden that respects and balances the unique needs of all? What if we, like Eric, viewed ourselves as the stem, “a conduit, rooted in the soil and delivering water and nutrients to the petals?” Could we create a healthier, cleaner, more just planet? 
 
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply,” says Stephen Covey, author of the best-seller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  
 
That is why I was Not the Blossom, written by a childhood friend who has mentored my own journey into writing, resonated with me. I am a person of passion—particularly when it comes everyone’s right to clean, safe water. And passion, a fuel for engagement, can be a detriment for discussion, for negotiated solutions—unless one channels that exuberance into creating a learning environment where everyone blooms. 
 
I picked up the book of a friend. I read the book of a visionary. 
 
What if more of us chose to be stems? 

Remembering the stems and blossoms of the fire-ravaged AZ mountains
and
In Gratitude 
to the creativity, passion and perseverance of teachers, particularly during this unprecedented time when producing “the room where it happens” involves rethinking what it means to be in a room. Please share this message with every teacher and aspiring teacher you know. 
They deserve our support. 

Names. 
 
I wonder how many newspaper pages it would take to list all the unarmed people of color who have lost their lives unfairly in this country? Or the property owners who have incurred damage in cities ravished by violent protests? Or the women and girls who have been discriminated against, assaulted, killed, or worse because of behaviors incorporated into cultures centuries ago?  Or the people who have suffered harm from the extreme storm events sweeping across our planet because of climate change? 
 
So many names. So much suffering. The walls of the heart feel as if they are collapsing. 
 
“It is only when the seed is broken that a tree begins to grow,” Gary Jensen writes in his book, Station to Station: An Ignatian Journey through the Stations of the Cross.
 
Perhaps we can find a way to nurture the seeds of our brokenness, find ways to grow a tree, maybe even a forest. Perhaps we can fill the air with oxygen so all people can breathe. Perhaps this time we will find a way to listen, learn, negotiate our differences, and nurture God’s forest.

One photo showcases the legacy left by our parents, a generation that insisted on legislation that protected our water and air, endangered species, and held those who polluted with hazardous waste financially responsible for the cleanup. 
 
The other tells the story of the legacy we are leaving our children if we fail to curb climate change and to enforce environmental legislation designed to protect our properties, our health and our dreams. 
 
Both photos tell the story of a small cottage on Sanford Lake that has been in my husband’s family for over sixty years. It is where Rubin learned to sail, waterski, fish, love boats, and hate mosquitoes.
 
On May 19th, the Edenville dam collapsed after days of unprecedented rainfall. The dam, one of four privately owned by Boyce Hydro Power along the Tittabawassee River in mid-Michigan, failed federal inspection in 2018. When it broke and the contents of Wixom Lake poured into Sanford Lake, it took only two days before the pressure of the additional water overwhelmed the Sanford dam, sending another wall of water down the Tittabawassee River and into the city of Midland. The result was the equivalent of a 500-year flood. 
 
The damage caused by one record-setting rainfall and two privately-owned dams whose owner, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, was chronically non-compliant with regulator requests to upgrade the dams, is mind-boggling. Roughly 1,000 property owners on Wixom Lake and another 1,600 on Sanford Lake watched property values plummet as the lakes disappeared over the dams, leaving debris and destruction in their wake. Throughout the Midland area, over 10,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes. While the financial cost of the flooding is unknown, the aerial photographs tell a horrifying story. 
 
Even before the civil lawsuits began accumulating in the courts, Michigan’s governor called for an investigation. And while accountability is essential, I believe there are additional concerns.
 
Michigan has 2,523 dams, 1,153 regulated by federal or state agencies. Over half the regulated dams are privately owned. Should infrastructure that affects so many people be owned privately? Regardless of ownership, what should happen when a dam is not maintained, particularly with the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events caused by climate change? 
 
The Tittabawassee River flows past a Dow Chemical plant and eventually meets the Saginaw River, continuing into Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay. Throughout the 20th century, the plant contaminated the river, air and riverbanks with a compound called dioxin. Considered a hazardous waste, dioxins can cause cancer and damage immune and reproductive systems. Under the Superfund legislation passed in 1980, Dow is responsible for cleaning up the site. As the cleanup plans were not agreed on until 2007, implementation delayed until 2012, cleanup efforts are still underway. Scientists and environmental groups are concerned the flooding could sweep the dioxins back into the floodplain and farther downstream.
 
In October 2019, the Government Accountability Office said the EPA should take steps to protect the 1,871 Superfund sites from the effects of climate change, including flooding from heavy rains. What is the status of those recommendations? When will they be implemented in the 89 Superfund sites in Michigan? If the EPA is not addressing this issue, what is the state doing? And what can be done to expedite these Superfund cleanups? 
 
It was reported that flood waters were commingling with Dow-Corning’s on-site containment ponds, potentially unleashing a 26-page list of chemicals and contaminants like solvents, tars, lead and other heavy metals.[7] And while it is too soon to tell if the spread of dioxins and these other pollutants will be another cost of the flood, homeowners have been encouraged to have private wells inspected. At a minimum, there is risk of E. coli and other pathogens contaminating the groundwater.
 
How many before and after photos will it take for us to make climate change a priority? To insist existing legislation be enforced? 
 
Our legacy hinges on how we cast our ballots in November. 

I want to write a poem 
about the fox or the robin 
the turkeys or the moon 
or even the radiant colors
of last evening’s sunset
but all I can think about
are those empty store shelves 
knowing at some point 
I will get down to that last roll
and nowhere 
in my boxes 
​of memorabilia
is there 
a Sears catalog.   

I want to write a poem about the pearly white pants of the Dutchman, flashing spring’s arrival across the crinkly-brown of winter, but last month . . .
 
It was reported there were 62% more facilities in the Great Lakes region in “significant noncompliance” with the Clean Water Act in fiscal 2019 when compared to the average number of facilities for years 2012-2017. In a report issued by the Environmental Law and Policy Center of Chicago, enforcement budgets for the Environmental Protection Agency are shrinking, staff levels are declining. and the drops in enforcement correspond with a rise in noncompliance by industrial polluters. 

I want to write a poem about the serenading robin, perched on a branch dotted with the softness of early spring, but last week . . .
 
I learned in addition to fulfilling his campaign promise to scale back environmental regulations to make life easier for businesses and industry, President Trump instructed the EPA to forgo fines or other civil penalties for companies that fail to monitor, report or meet requirements for releasing hazardous pollutants during the coronavirus pandemic. 
 
What good is legislation designed to protect us if it is not enforced?
 
I want to write about watching the red-tailed hawks “doing it” (no kidding!) on the branch outside our sunroom window, but last week . . . 

I read that because of the climate-driven increases in precipitation that are overloading antiquated sewage systems and increasing nutrient runoff that fuels algal growth, “Do Not Drink/Do Not Boil” warnings will become more frequent across the Great Lakes region. (Boiling water does not treat algal contamination.)
 
I want to write a poem about the sandy beach I used to walk for miles before these same frequent and intense storms ravaged the shoreline and miles of protective rock embankments designed to protect homes became like walls. I want to pretend I didn’t read last week that this “hard shore armoring” actually destroys the natural beach over the long term, driving offshore the very sand needed to replenish the coastline. 
 
I want to write a poem about the fumbling descent of the turkeys from the branches of the hemlocks, the red fox pouncing on an inattentive mouse, the silent ascent of the full moon over the valley. 
 
Above all, I want to find words that will contribute to much-needed dialogue about how we balance our needs with that of the earth’s. 
 
What do you want? 

​The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France is closed during this pandemic.  Considered a sacred site by the Catholic Church, it is the place where Mary, the Mother of God, is said to have appeared repeatedly to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Beside the grotto in which the apparitions occurred, is a spring said to have the ability to heal. 
 
When, in recent memory, have we needed healing more than now?
 
The pilgrimage site may be closed, but through the voice of Sr. Diane Zerfas of the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids, we can experience the healing power of water from the springs of Lourdes to the seemingly infinite waters of Lake Michigan. 
 
At the core of that power is prayer. 
 
During this public health crisis when most of us are washing our hands longer and more frequently in water, why not use that time to pray? With so many voices raised in prayer so frequently throughout the day, perhaps we might emerge from this pandemic stronger, more willing to work together to care for each other and for our planet. Perhaps, through our prayers, God will work miracles. 

hospital, rehab, or nursing home bed.  In our absence, we will depend on physicians, nurses, and aides to provide bedside emotional support as well as physical care; especially the aides—the caregivers who bathe, dress, change, and respond to the call buttons of the sick, the elderly, the dying. 
 
Irene passed early Easter morning. And while prayers flow easily from my heart these days, at the top of the list is a prayer for those who made it possible for Irene to know she was not alone. ​

“The water of Mother Earth, she carries life to us, and as women we carry life through our bodies,” wrote Josephine Mandamin in a journal she began on a rainy, cold day in April 2003. “We as women are life-givers, protectors of the water . . .”
 
That day marked the beginning of a 15,500-mile walk alongside all five Great Lakes. Led by Josephine Mandamin (1942-2019), a grandmother in her sixties and a member of the Anishinabek Nation, the walk began with a handful of women at her side. By the time she finished the walks five years later, thousands of women and men had accompanied her for some portion of the journey. 
 
Her goal was to raise awareness that the health of our water, a sacred gift, was at risk. 
 
Traditionally responsible for the health of children, families and communities, women have been carrying water and caring for water since the beginning of time. 
 
It was Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890-1998) who changed the perception of the Everglades from a worthless swamp to an essential ecosystem worth protecting. Rachel Carson (1907-1964) brought attention to the use of synthetic pesticides and is credited for launching the environmental movement with her book, Silent Spring. Erin Brockovich unearthed Pacific Gas and Electric’s contamination of groundwater that was affecting the health of Hinckley, CA. Her research was instrumental in a $333 million settlement in 1996 that held the company financially accountable. Forty years ago, in Love Canal, NY, it was Louis Gibbs who transformed herself “from homemaker to hellraiser” to convince then-President Jimmy Carter to remove over 800 families from a neighborhood developed on a toxic dump site. And in 2014, it was Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a woman pediatrician, professor and public health advocate, who exposed the high levels of lead in Flint’s water. 
 
This month we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Despite the all-consuming coronavirus plaguing the planet, and perhaps because of the importance of water in combatting its deadly spread, I am officially launching the Listening to the Voices of Water YouTube Channel. Through the voices of women across religions and spiritual beliefs, across all walks of life and age groups, you will hear about the value of water from a spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental perspective. 
 
Water, the essence of life, touches all. 
 
In this 1 ½ minute trailer, I introduce you to some of the women who have inspired and informed me, and, hopefully, will you, too. Together we can engage in caring for this sacred gift of God. Despite the unruly tear you might notice trickling down my cheek, it is a video of hope as well as a call to action. 

​Why the above photograph of the Pink Everlasting? Visit a Skosh of Poetry.