Fifteen years
ago, some older friends chose me and my wife as the next owners of their
property in Hancock, Maine. These remarkable people were both retired
pastors who had been on the front line of every good cause from the American
Civil Rights movement to putting their bodies between the Contras and the
Sandinistas during the war in Nicaragua. In an unexpected phone call, Bob and
Fran announced that we were the chosen ones. “Why?” we asked. "Because you share our values and commitments and will be good stewards of the
property," they answered.
So we
bought the property on Egypt Bay, next to Egypt stream, on a remote stretch of
Taunton Bay. With the property, we inherited a chainsaw and a forestry
management plan. Bob had worked many years to make the seven acre wood an
official Tree Farm with a plan to promote plant diversity, wild-life habitat
and a forest of diverse trees at all stages of the life cycle. Indeed,
our seven acres were wonderfully populated by red oaks, 80 foot tall white
pines, fir trees, cedars, birch trees, tamaracks, popples (the local name for
quaking aspens), maples, apple and pines. My
job was to be the next steward of Bob’s hard work and vision.
From
the perspective of 15 years, today I see
trees which were chin high at the beginning of my
tenure and are now three times my height with trunks thicker than my
thigh. I am moved to tears by the happy notion that my grandchildren may
play under these same trees and their children too.
Stewardship
of this property puts my life in perspective and joins me to a greater purpose
and meaning. The forest also teaches me that stewardship is unavoidable.
From
the perspective of life among the trees, I am constantly reminded that the cycle
of life is so much bigger and more
mysterious than me and my petty concerns.
From
the perspective of life among the trees, I am constantly reminded that I am a
recent visitor on a short duration visa in this world. The trees will be
here long after I am gone and that makes me incredibly happy. My stewardship is not about me. Stewardship is
about the generations that will come – what will they need to thrive and find
joy in life and how can I prepare and provide for them?
From
the perspective of life among the trees, I am constantly in awe of the beauty
and resilience of nature. The abundance and persistence of life is
breathtaking. The unique stories told by each tree trunk in the scars of
weather and the search for light are fascinating. The
super-abundance of wind-sown seedlings each summer puts me in mind of Christ
the Wild Sower of Seeds. The Stewardship question is always: what to do
with so much abundance in life?
From
the perspective of life among the trees, I am constantly asking whether I am
doing all I can with my limited gifts and abilities to add to the health of
this forest and ecosystem. Stewardship
is working in that dance among what is
given, what gifts I bring and what is envisioned by God to add to and to advance the well-being of all.
Stewardship
is unavoidable. If you walk through my seven acres, you will find low
stone walls and a small cemetery plot dating back to the Civil War. This land has been cleared of trees at least three times since European
settlement - for boat building, for salt-water
farming, for animal grazing. What appears to be natural - here and throughout
New England - is the result of human intervention. Therefore, we must
continue to be active stewards intervening to correct past mistakes and play
our part in the flourishing of a nature renewed.
-The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
