My Moment with Nature

My family visited the SVD Laudato Si’ Farm to celebrate the first day of the year. It is located beside the Pink Sisters Convent at Tagaytay, and it houses an expansive land filled with spiritual activities at a refreshing venue.

One of the striking features of the place is how peaceful and serene it is to be there, as it is their goal to connect people to nature in an effort to be closer to God. During this visit, we also brought my dog, Luna. She was allowed to be at the place, which is a huge plus for us because there are not many parks where we can bring dogs as well.

Somehow, I connect nature to rest and serene scenes. I think that this is the case because nature is supposed to be innate and inherent, and I also grew up being taught that God made it. For me, being near nature and caring for it is an act of service to God.

Nonetheless, living in a highly urbanized city makes me seldom go to pretty natural places. Hence, I absolutely loved it when I saw this flower on campus. It is a yellow gumamela, and it is extremely rare to find one of this kind in Taft, so I was in awe when I saw it. Foliage Friend describes that gumamela flowers are commonly employed in spiritual practices, such as relaxation and scent therapy, to augment sensations of relaxation, serenity, and communion with the divine. The fragrance of these flowers is thought to provide a soothing influence on the mind and body, fostering a feeling of contentment and spiritual elevation. Consequently, I am grateful that the university makes an effort to keep nature embedded in our campus area despite being surrounded by buildings in this city.

Conclusively, I would say that there are not many bridges available between my daily life and the natural world, considering where I am situated. Nonetheless, the lack of nature thereof would not hinder me from trying to connect with it. Similar to how the campus aims to maintain pieces of nature in our campus area, it is something I could adapt to also be closer to nature. I could also look into planting more plants in our household in an effort to connect with nature in the urban city I live in. In this way, nurturing the living nature found in my residence can be my acts of service to my God, the Heavenly creator.

#GoingGreen #ACMSUST

Sophia Isabel S. Cauilan

Posted February 13, 2024