Although we think of summer as ending Labor Day weekend, with a return to school and an end to traditional vacation time, technically we have five weeks of summer left, the autumnal equinox occurring on September 22. And although we had lots and lots of rain last week, parts of the country are parched, to put it mildly.
There are 520 active wildfires affecting 2.8 million acres now, yes right now. Many are the result of human carelessness, but many are occurring due to the warmer, drier climate we are experiencing. Better forest management is only one aspect of solving the crisis in our forests and the communities close to them.
The other obvious aspect is our continuing reliance on fossil fuels. We continue to act as if we are in a speeding care and just need to slow down a bit. We really need to put on the brakes. We in New Jersey and the Northeast have been fortunate, primarily because we had a wetter spring, but as the climate becomes hotter, it becomes drier.
Prayer for the Day
The early morning light comes later as we head into autumn,
But we know, O God, that the light of your Spirit still shines;
Rousing ourselves in the growing darkness becomes more difficult,
For the sounds of birds come later as well.
Be with us, O God, as we consider the new season to come,
And allow us those moments in your light.
In the name of the One who is your light,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
I’d rather fight 100 structure fires than a wildfire. With a structure fire you know where your flames are, but in the woods it can move anywhere; it can come right up behind you.
Tom Watson, firefighter (1944-2024)
The death of the forest is the end of our life.
Dorothy Stang, environmentalist, assassinated in Brazil (1931-2005)
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Paul in Romans 1:20