Join us for a day of fun and relaxation at the beautiful sanctuary.
May 28, 2009
Come Celebrate Earth Connections Day - June 13th
We are excited to announce our annual opening celebration and hope you will come and enjoy Earth Connections Day with us! Everyone is invited join in the games, all kinds of activities, food, beautiful walks and time together enjoying nature.
May 26, 2009
Flavors To Savor Kitchen begins a cooking class series with a gluten free dinner
Gluten Free Dinner Plus Dessert
Wed May 27th 6:30-8pm $25
at Big George's in Ann Arbor
Wed May 27th 6:30-8pm $25
at Big George's in Ann Arbor
Join our Flavors to Savor chefs as we create a delicious, nutritious meal. We will be making quinoa with roasted vegetables, yogurt dill sauce and spiced tofu. And, gluten free chocolate chip cookies for dessert! We will be talking about alternatives for grains, as well as the health benefits of several ingredients in our dinner - and you will be served dinner at the end of the class! All proceeds to benefit For Generations to Come Nature Sanctuary. Come join the fun! Please call 734-748-5538 or e-mail info@fgtcsanctuary.org for more information.
May 18, 2009
Yoga Dance Party to Benefit FGTC
We are very excited for the first ever Yoga Dance party in Dexter, Michigan. Patty Hart, a long time volunteer with FGTC, is a great yoga teacher in addition to having a deep life-long love of music. She came up with the idea for the Yoga Dance Party and descided she wanted to make it a benefit event for FGTC. The evening promises to be a lively and relaxing time. Families and friends younger and older are welcome. Here is the flier with more details (click for a larger view).
May 17, 2009
Two Teen Groups Join the Garlic Mustard Pull Challenge
We recently had the fortune of two great groups of teens coming to help in our Garlic Mustard Pull conservation project. The 8th grade class at the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor and the Green Group from the Neutral Zone. As you can see, the stands of garlic mustard have gotten very tall and are getting ready to go to seed. We are pulling an bagging as much of it as we can before the pulling window is closed until next year.
The weather was rainy or damp on the work days, but the kids did a fantastic job. Thanks for your help.
Here are some pictures from two days:
The weather was rainy or damp on the work days, but the kids did a fantastic job. Thanks for your help.
Here are some pictures from two days:
May 15, 2009
Learning from Irises
FGTC volunteer Andrea Hill sent this touching story of deepening her connection with the earth. Thank you for writing and sharing this Andrea.
I’m looking at these beautiful irises in a vase on my table. They feel like friends.
The other day, I was rushing around cleaning, getting ready to have clients in my house and as I was coming back from taking out the trash, this magnificent yellow iris caught my eye. It was in an untended part of the yard, behind my house. It was a complete surprise. It was in full relationship with the sun, ground and air. I could feel its vibrancy and it really got my attention. At the time, I was struggling with a disagreement I had with my landlord and decided to cut down this beautiful flower and bring it into my house – to “get” something in return for all the work I was doing that should have been done before I moved in. This felt terrible. As soon as I did it I knew it was wrong. I apologized and asked for forgiveness of this iris. I meditated with it while it sat in a vase on my table.
I’ve tended to that yellow iris as it continued to bloom new flowers. I’ve shown it love and appreciation. I’ve apologized a lot to it. I’ve been careful not to beat myself up about it, and also not to ignore that it was an abuse of a life.
Today, I was in the yard again. There is a huge bunch of magnificent purple irises behind my garage, where I won’t see them much. I stood in front of them and silently asked if there were any who would like to come in and live in my house in a vase so my clients and I could enjoy them. There were two. Plus another flower I don’t know the name of. It has a long straight stem with a globe of little purple flowers at the top. They look magnificent together. The shapes of the stems and blossoms come together to make an incredible display. As I cut them, I felt permission, my own full appreciation and love for this expression of Earth, relationship. I love them. I feel supported and blessed by them. It brings tears to my eyes to let myself feel this.
The other day, I went to the lake with my four year old daughter. She is ecstatic there. When we got to the water, she announced, “I am here to give a drink to the sand!” and proceeded to fill bucket after bucket with lake water. She ran back and forth for over an hour, shining happiness, engrossed in tenderly giving water to the sand, watching the shapes and colors that it made, making little rivers. It was pure and loving.
I remember feeling like that when I was little. I remember feeling connected to plants, animals, sky and earth much more vulnerably. I used to make little cheese balls for mice. I took care of baby birds and moles. I got sidetracked growing up, trying to live with respect for life. It got twisted into a fight (about whether or not to eat meat, how to be a good environmentalist, etc.) I felt like somehow I should not receive from the earth – not cause death - which is impossible, I found. To really feel all that I receive from the Earth takes a tremendous amount of self-love. Otherwise, I just feel ashamed of causing the death and displacement of people, animals and plants. I am overwhelmed by the feeling that I can receive without taking. Those irises said yes. There is so much yes in the world for me.
I’m looking at these beautiful irises in a vase on my table. They feel like friends.
The other day, I was rushing around cleaning, getting ready to have clients in my house and as I was coming back from taking out the trash, this magnificent yellow iris caught my eye. It was in an untended part of the yard, behind my house. It was a complete surprise. It was in full relationship with the sun, ground and air. I could feel its vibrancy and it really got my attention. At the time, I was struggling with a disagreement I had with my landlord and decided to cut down this beautiful flower and bring it into my house – to “get” something in return for all the work I was doing that should have been done before I moved in. This felt terrible. As soon as I did it I knew it was wrong. I apologized and asked for forgiveness of this iris. I meditated with it while it sat in a vase on my table.
I’ve tended to that yellow iris as it continued to bloom new flowers. I’ve shown it love and appreciation. I’ve apologized a lot to it. I’ve been careful not to beat myself up about it, and also not to ignore that it was an abuse of a life.
Today, I was in the yard again. There is a huge bunch of magnificent purple irises behind my garage, where I won’t see them much. I stood in front of them and silently asked if there were any who would like to come in and live in my house in a vase so my clients and I could enjoy them. There were two. Plus another flower I don’t know the name of. It has a long straight stem with a globe of little purple flowers at the top. They look magnificent together. The shapes of the stems and blossoms come together to make an incredible display. As I cut them, I felt permission, my own full appreciation and love for this expression of Earth, relationship. I love them. I feel supported and blessed by them. It brings tears to my eyes to let myself feel this.
The other day, I went to the lake with my four year old daughter. She is ecstatic there. When we got to the water, she announced, “I am here to give a drink to the sand!” and proceeded to fill bucket after bucket with lake water. She ran back and forth for over an hour, shining happiness, engrossed in tenderly giving water to the sand, watching the shapes and colors that it made, making little rivers. It was pure and loving.
I remember feeling like that when I was little. I remember feeling connected to plants, animals, sky and earth much more vulnerably. I used to make little cheese balls for mice. I took care of baby birds and moles. I got sidetracked growing up, trying to live with respect for life. It got twisted into a fight (about whether or not to eat meat, how to be a good environmentalist, etc.) I felt like somehow I should not receive from the earth – not cause death - which is impossible, I found. To really feel all that I receive from the Earth takes a tremendous amount of self-love. Otherwise, I just feel ashamed of causing the death and displacement of people, animals and plants. I am overwhelmed by the feeling that I can receive without taking. Those irises said yes. There is so much yes in the world for me.
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