Thankful for all my relations

Hello friends. Years ago, the Provost of Emory University, where I taught for four decades, asked me what I planned to do after retirement. I told him I had one open slot on my resume, to become a saint. This was something of a conversation stopper. After moments of silence and a puzzled look, he said: “You mean a canonized saint in the Catholic Church?” I said no, that I had a different view of the canonization process. I was referring to a less heroic notion of holiness: to move beyond religious institutions and their teachings.

While unconstrained by the rules and theologies of religion, I’ve been pulled by them toward justice and charity. My path continues from “sky” to earth religion with my brethren in garden, river, and forest. I am thankful to everyone who in overt and subtle ways contributed to my growth in knowledge and a little wisdom. It is a pleasure to recall their faces and voices. There is also a much wider assembly of those who deserve my thanks for being part of my life in usually unseen ways. This is the thrust of a Lakota prayer of gratitude “for all my relations,” that is, all those who are part of me. Best, Gene.

I pray for all my relations …
All those who walk, crawl, fly, and swim,
Seen and unseen,
To the good spirits that exist in every part of Creation.