Forgiveness means accepting the core of every human being as the same as yourself and giving them the gift of not judging them. You can be clear about whether or not a person's behavior is acceptable without judging the person. Forgiveness starts with ourselves and extends to others. Accepting that the core of your own being is as precious and wonderful as that of any other person is the greatest gift you can ever give yourself.
~ from MINDING THE BODY, MENDING THE MIND by Joan Borysenko
Old trees hold us to the earth by their deep roots. And trees are our memories, like the blueprints of our planet's history. When ancient trees are cut, the earth loses its memory.
Our forests, those brave and sheltering Standing People, need their ancient forests, just as we humans need to be firmly rooted to our past generations, the grandparents who hold down our family tree.
~ from THE SWEET BREATHING OF PLANTS ed. by L. Hogan and B. Peterson
