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"Happy Mothers’ Day. I am your son. I am a run-away."
--David Peel; 1968
For the 19th year in a row, my sons have given me a Mothers’ Day present. This tradition started when the oldest was in 1st grade, and I was beginning life as a single father. The hand-made ceramic fish he gave me that year, and the clay pig from the next, remain two of my prize possessions.
This summer, the boys (actually men, of course) will be living on their maternal grandparents’ farm. It is one of the nicest pieces of property on earth, situated a few miles outside of a tiny hamlet in Delaware County. There is a mile-long private road that goes back through the woods, into a beautiful valley, that their family lived on for generations. When their grandfather was old, an NBA star offered him a substantial price for the farm, but the old man hoped that another generation would continue their family tradition of farming.
The boys, who have come to resolve most of their differences with their biological mother, are intent upon exploring their roots in the months between the spring and fall semesters at school. Though the dairy farm is no longer functioning, and both are prepared to have "summer jobs," there is an old stone quarry, and plenty of standing timber, which can allow them the chance to earn a few extra bucks.
There is also a site with some archaeological value there, at the edge of a field, which has a steep bank leading to a stream. When I lived at one of the old farm houses about a half-mile away, I used to collect artifacts there. The snow drifts along the steep bank, and deer tend to get caught up as they approach the creek. It is where about 900 years ago, hunters made use of a "kill zone," and butchered the deer. Arrow heads, knives, and choppers are found there, and although there is no evidence of continuous occupation at the site, it was clearly used seasonally for an extended time. The boys hope to find some artifacts there, to provide them with a greater connection to that land.
I was out at the pond yesterday, when they stopped here to give their stepmother some plants for her numerous flower gardens. They came out to the pond with six Koi fish, which were my presents. D in particular finds Koi fascinating, and as we waited before releasing them, he talked about some of the symbolism connected with them. He told me that, because they tend to occupy the surface level of the water, and seem unconcerned about anything/where else, they represent the highest level of consciousness. Koi also do well in ponds that are home to a large variety of other fish. But, due to their coloring, they tend to attract a variety of predators, ranging from herons to fox and raccoons. It was, of course, a more detailed and complex description of Koi, but that is what I took from it.
They left a short time later, and I sat and watched the Koi and other inhabitants of the pond. Since they were little, I’ve taught my children the same things that I learned when I was young. In many ways, some of these lessons are the exact opposite of what western civilization believes: rather than viewing human beings as separate from nature, and created with the intention of lording over the Earth, that humans are part of that process. More, as the only living thing that does not play a vital role in the web of life, that we are blessed with an opportunity to learn from all of nature – the plants, the ponds, the birds, and even the fox that may come to this pond to attempt to make a meal of my Mothers’ Day presents.
It’s a curious thing, I think, that so many Americans take pride in our country for things such as the Amendment 1 "freedom of religion," without really grasping what it means. To truly understand it, they would need to know the history behind it. That would include the differences in approach that John Adams took when writing the constitution of Massachusetts, and that of Thomas Jefferson in drafting the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom.
While most of the original 13 states had "freedom of religion" included in their own constitutions even before the Bill of Rights was ratified, it did not include allowing those who were not Protestant to enjoy the same civil liberties as the majority. This goes beyond simply protection from having the federal government institute a "state religion."
While Article VI of the US Constitution ruled against the federal government, for example, having religious tests for holding office, no such protection applied at the state or local level. Virginia and New York were the only states with no laws requiring religious qualifications to either vote or hold office. Maryland and Rhode Island required that those seeking office had to be Christians. Delaware and Pennsylvania went a step further, and required office holders to take an oath that affirmed a belief that both the Old and New Testaments were authored by divine inspiration. North and South Carolina, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New Hampshire only allowed Protestants to hold elected office.
Though some states did away with these restrictions relatively early, others did not. New Jersey continued this restrictive stance until 1844. And it wasn’t until 1868 that the federal government ratified Amendment 14, protecting citizens from state laws that deny civil rights. Of course, even this did not then or now protected everyone, or we would not have the right-wing freaking out about rumors regarding President Obama’s religion. Or laws that deny adults the right to marry the person they love.
Last year, my boys built me a new sweat lodge, a short distance from my pond. Inside it, we use rocks to turn the water into cleansing steam. That steam brings us to a higher level of consciousness. We had had another one, on another part of my property, for many years. A new neighbor felt compelled to start a "junkyard" as close to it as possible, and burn all types of wastes there. I’m sure, from the nasty chemical smells coming from those fires, that he was violating the law. Intolerance is such an ugly thing. It goes against the laws of nature.
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