Friday, April 26, 2024

Time for a Canadian Arbo(u)r Day?

 

It's not often that I envy the United States of America, especially in the current chaotic climate, although the Grand Canyon is very cool, not to mention the sequoias. And I'm sure that I've never said a positive word about the late, not-so-great President Richard Nixon. Yet today I wish Canada had an Arbor Day, a day to be mindful of trees and to plant them. It was proposed  by a journalist in Nebraska in 1872 as a project to plant trees in that state. Fast forward nearly a century to 1970, the first year of Earth Day, when Nixon established the last Friday of April as Arbor Day. Well done Tricky Dick. 

You'll know by now that I have something of a trees, trees, trees outlook. We have planted ten or so on our suburban lot where there were already a fair number and we don't really have room for more. Watching them grow during the past eleven years in this spot has been satisfying.

At the beginning of this April Earth Month I led worship at Trenton United and during the tree-themed service I noted the hundreds of references to trees in the bible. Something of my enthusiasm must have rubbed off because there are now plans afoot to plant shrubs and trees around the church, including a burning bush (how  biblical!) and a lilac.  TUC folk are doers, God/Creator bless them. 

Here's the question: would we need to add the "u" and  call it Arbour Day if we established one in Canada? It would be a worthwhile way to conclude Earth Month each year. 

No comments:

Post a Comment