Spring time is a time of fieldtrips. I put together a fieldtrip for my son Spencer’s 1st grade class to learn more about the environment. We went to Rumpke’s recycle center in town. We recycle at our school and church but the kids never knew where the materials went when it left our property. We all listened intently as the tour guide explained to us about how plastic is recycled and turned back into plastic once more.
Often times we, the human race, feel just like those plastic bottles, used up, crushed and depleted. However, like that plastic bottle we too can be recycled. How often do we experience a situation when we become so angry we can’t see straight? Instead of using that anger in a negative way we could recycle it into energy to motivate us to change that which angered us. We could find that injustice in the world that makes us see red and try to change the system. How often do we experience sadness and loss in our lives? We must first grieve the loss but then we should take that feeling and let it empower us to be sympathetic to those who feel loss on a daily basis. Let it drive us to help those who need it. How often do we feel blessed by our lives and all the graces God has given us? We should recycle that feeling of joy and thankfulness and share it with everyone we meet, not by bragging on our graces but by smiling and sharing the positive attitude God has given to us.
Recycling to help our environment is paramount for our children’s future. Recycling our reactions to life is pivotal for both our own growth and the love of the people in our world.