“Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment,” says Ellis Peters. Yes, most of us relish this season, especially after a cold and snowy winter like the one we’ve had, but it’s still easy to bypass its gifts out of busyness or complacency. So I invite you to enter into a deeper love affair with spring this year. Do it out of appreciation for the Creator’s genius, for the joy it sparks, and for your soul’s development.
Here’s what I most love about spring. The purple and light green colors of bud and blossom are a feast for my eyes. I know exactly where the dogwoods are on my street, and can’t wait to see the white and pink flowers burst forth. I get to look out my office window and see my redbud tree smiling at me with colorful delight. Forsythia branches, tulips, and crocuses adorn every room in my house. That magical time when color is fresh, new and vivid is brief, so I try to soak it in as fully as possible.
Spring and warmer days means I can eat lunch out on my deck again! Don’t think this is a small thing. I absolutely LOVE doing this and miss it so much in the winter. My noon meal takes on a whole new dimension when I can savor it closer to the elements that gave it to me. This truly is an oasis time to set aside my work and be refreshed by warm sunshine on my face, chirping birds, and the beauty of tall trees that surround my backyard sanctuary and give silent company while I eat. These words of W. Earl Hall are so true, “Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day.”
Then there’s the pure pleasure of working in the soil again. As I rake up the remnants of fall debris, I can now see the perennials poking their tiny heads out into the light. The miracle has occurred once again and reminded me of its truth: Life will have its way and I can relax more in my strident efforts to be in control and make things happen. So I let my tiny pieces of tended land come to life on their own, and humbly contribute my talents in planning new ways to improve my garden of Eden. I thrill to dig new flower beds, lay a stoned path, browse at the nursery (one of the places closest to heaven in my mind), and get my vegetable garden planted at our community garden at church.
Spring is also a tangible reminder of spiritual and psychological truths we often forget. Dormancy is part of life and not to be shunned. Just as nature needs a “down time” to regenerate, so do we. The cycle of winter birthing the glory of spring reminds us that our times of suffering and loss bear the seeds of new life and spiritual growth. Hope comes soaring in on March winds, shouting, “All is not lost. There is more than meets the eye. God is at work in your life. Good surprises are at your doorstep.”
Actor and comedian Robin Williams describes spring as “nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’” Sounds good to me. We’ve had a long, rough winter, so let’s celebrate the wonders of warmth and wildflowers and let our hair down and be dizzy with delight!
What do you love most about spring? Reflecting on and articulating it makes the experience richer and doubles the joy. So send us your comments below. We can all help each other savor spring more fully.
