Community Has Its Own Mother Nature
Instinct drove Susan Brelin-Bechio to the land, for comfort during troubled times. She craved its stability as well as its change; she appreciated its silence and the vigorous life it contained.
Nature’s pull was strong in Susan for reasons she didn’t entirely understand until she spent time with Australian aborigines and Native Americans.
“I had a deep love of earth, but no sense of spirituality,” she says. “Now I know we are all one. Nature unites us all.”
Susan, 48, believes humans have lost their place in nature and are paying the price with crime, environmental damage, neuroses and psychoses, wars. She teaches groups at Coeur d’Alene’s Center for Human Development how to reconnect with nature.
“We’re not guardians of the Earth, we’re all one,” she says. “We are part of the biological rhythms that connect all life.”
People lived in harmony with nature until they learned ways to harness it. When humans strayed from nature’s order, troubles began, Susan says.
Over time, people removed themselves so far from nature that many no longer knew the sweetness of pure air and water or recognized the seasonal cycles in themselves.
Susan decided a decade ago that she could improve the world by leading people back to nature.
She has experience on her side. For 10 years, she and her family lived self-sufficiently on a farm in Australia. She gave birth to her children at home, grew food, made butter and cheese, relied on natural power sources.
Susan doesn’t expect anyone to move into a cave or throw out the refrigerator. She just wants to show people that the natural world includes them. They blossom in spring and summer and slow in fall and winter, reflect more on themselves in winter, shed past hurts in spring.
“We are nature,” she says. “If we have ways of making that real, personally, globally, then there’s a better chance of maintaining the forces of life long-term.”
Wonder women
When Julie Keene and Ione Jensen were looking for cool women to profile in their new book, “Emerging Women: The Widening Stream,” they found three right in their own back yard.
Julie and Ione, who live in Hayden Lake, traveled all over the nation hunting down 50 remarkable women.
They interviewed Gloria Steinem and Dr. Joycelyn Elders, Ellen Burstyn and Louise Hay.
They also interviewed Coeur d’Alene’s Jeanne Givens, Mary Lou Reed and Star Euthene.
Julie and Ione will sign copies of their book from noon to 3 p.m., May 10, at the Book and Game Co. in the Silver Lake Mall.
Spot check
Polka dots are fine on ties or socks or even shirts, if you’re so inclined. But if you’ve got them on your skin, they’re worth close inspection. Skin cancer caught early is one of the most curable cancers.
The North Idaho Cancer Center makes a visit to the doctor as easy as it gets. Five doctors will assess your spots free from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 10.
You need to call ahead because exam slots fill quickly. Quit worrying about your spots and do something. Call 666-2030.
Oh say can you see
What are the underappreciated landmarks in your community? St. Thomas Catholic Church peeks above Coeur d’Alene’s trees and gives the town a quaint, cozy feel. It’s enough to convince some people to move to Coeur d’Alene - after they see the lake, of course.
Tout your town’s taken-for-granted treasures to Cynthia Taggart, “Close to Home,” 608 Northwest Blvd., Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene 83814; fax to 765-7149; call 765-7128; or e-mail to cynthiat@spokesman.com.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo