This piece by Blanca Stella was cross-posted at Mi Caminar.
Dear Cristian,
I gaze out of this beautiful ocean and listen to the sound of the waves while the glistening sun shines upon me. The soft breeze sways against the palm trees while flapping the umbrella nearby. You are only 18, ready to take on life as an adult by preparing yourself for college this year.
As I lay here on this cozy lounge chair and breathe in the comforting air and soothing sounds of the water, I wonder if you will have the same available 20 or 30 years down the road. Statistically, I could still be alive by then ( and sure wish I am!) Therefore, I long to continue enjoying this peaceful serenity until the end of my days.
This calm and peacefulness of being in nature is a necesssary “hobby” for me because it brings me closer to my soul and spirit. It is only then when I feel more alive and I am stirred from the heart to do something good in this world.
The world is already filled with much competition, greed, untruths, stress, wars, hatred..you name it. We are sucked in much negativity on a day to day basis. But there is also much beauty as I am grateful to witness right now. I breathe in the fresh air while absorbing the sunlight and it instantly brings me back to what is important.
I wish that you can enjoy the ocean forever. Many incidents have happened just in the last few years with the contamination of our precious waters through the oil spills. Remember when we went to the Hands Across the Sand event with the Surfrider Foundation last year for my birthday? I asked you to come with me to celebrate the preservation of the ocean and support the people that put this amazing event together. They are fighting to keep the waters clean. What a great sight it was to see everyone holding hands for a cause.
I hope that as an adult, you can contribute to different causes, just like Mom’s Clean Air Force is doing for the air we breathe. After all, water is composed of oxygen too and all the elements in nature must be preserved so we can continue to enjoy this beautiful earth. The most valuable things in life don’t cost anything. But it is a big cost if we don’t pay attention….and that my dear son applies to anything in life.
My mother’s day gift to YOU then, is to remember to remain conscious all your life of what matters most in life…the simple things that give us LIFE.
Love,
Mom
This post is part of the MCAF Blog Carnival: A Mother’s Day Gift.