“I need you, you need me.
We’re all a part of God’s body.
Stand with me, agree with me.
We’re all a part of God’s body.
It is His will that every need be supplied.
You are important to me, I need you to survive.
You are important to me, I need you to survive.”
-Lyrics by David Frazier
When have you noticed the well-being of others impacting your well-being or vice versa?
“I do not wish to breathe another breath if it is not shared with others. The breath of life is not mine alone. I brought myself to be with you, hoping that by inhaling the compassion, the courage, the hope found here, I can exhale the fear, the selfishness, the separateness I keep so close to my skin. I cannot live another moment, at least not one of joy, unless you and I find our oneness somewhere among each other, somewhere between the noise, somewhere within the silence of the next breath.”
-Kristen Harper
Spend some time in silence today, focusing on your breath, and contemplating how your breath connects you to others.
Ever wonder why honeybees are not called furry bees? After all, they are covered with tiny little hairs that make them quite furry looking. Turns out those tiny little hairs are very important in helping bees and flowers to live together in mutual interdependence. The pollen a flower creates gets caught in the hairs of the honey bee and is more easily transported from flower to flower. As the bee feeds on the nectar of the plants, the plants get pollinated and are able to grow new plants.
-Lori Stone (CLF)
How are we humans able to cultivate symbiotic relationships with one another that are mutually beneficial?
“We are all capable
In different ways
With various strengths and talents.
We are all holy
Part of the universe
And the interdependent web.”
-Cindy Fesgen
What strengths and talents do you bring to the universe today?
I first understood interdependence in elementary school when I learned about the water cycle that happens on our planet. I felt so awestruck thinking that the water I was drinking was once rain in India that flowed to the sea. When we are in our silos, nations, and families, it can be so hard to see the forest from the trees. I try to remind myself when I am going through the sorrows and joys of life, that in the midst of the social suffering we create for ourselves, all of us are on a rock moving through space together. How wild is that?
-Lecretia Williams (CLF)
What are the joys and sorrows you need others to accompany you with today?
