Prayer of the Woods

I am the heat of your hearth on the cold winter nights,

the friendly shade screening you from the summer sun,

and my fruits are refreshing draughts quenching your thirst as you journey on.

I am the beam that holds your house, 

the board of your table, the bed on which you lie, 

and the timber that builds your boat.

I am the handle of your hoe, 

the door of your homestead, the wood of your cradle, 

and the shell of your coffin.

I am the bread of kindness and the flower of beauty.

 'Ye who pass by, listen to my prayer: Harm me not.

(This prayer has been used in Portuguese forest preservations for more than 1,000 years. Today it can be found posted at trail heads across the United States.  Before you enter the woods. take a moment and remember this ancient prayer. Appreciate the beauty and goodness nature offers us and do not harm its existence).