Every morning, I read something inspirational, right after journaling my dreams and other hopes for the day. Inspiration might come in a paragraph, a few pages, or a poem.

For the past few weeks, I have been reading just one chapter of Braiding Sweetgrass. It is a long, moving prayer offered by one mother to Mother Earth and my soul. My heart, my head, and my spirit deepen and expand with every chapter.

It is a must-read for those of us who are consciously growing our minds and deepening our spirituality. Braiding Sweetgrass brings us back to the magic and essential belonging to the Earth and all her inhabitants, including Tree, Moss Spider, Maple, and Cattail, and their connections to everything in life that is important to know.

It is an instruction manual for motherhood and nurturing; on giving and receiving.

Every morning, I read another chapter, slowly, often rereading whole pages before moving on. Author Robin Wall Kimmerer, a scientist raised with Native American rituals that recognize the importance of gratitude and reciprocity in ways most of us are not, pulls you into the world through her eyes, an experience not to be missed. She talks about the arrogance of science, (in which she holds a Ph.D. in environmental science) in contrast to the lessons of Mother Earth and the deep indigenous knowing of the Potawatomi people, and her desire that we learn to marry the two into a more humble and generous relationship.

As I pass the halfway mark in this book, I find myself praying that more chapters will appear such that it never ends. She so gently braids worlds, thoughts, and experiences into words that make me grateful and envious of her writing abilities and expansive knowledge.

This is my offering to you. I could not keep this book, this prayer, this church to myself. I hope you will read it, too, slowly and with deep respect for the author’s amazing abilities to share her world with us.

Please let me know what books inspire you. I am always looking to add to my list because, alas, this book will end, and I will be open to new inspirations once again.

Mary