Barely Visible

I am always really grateful when a reader of  thepollypapers tells me, either in person or on-line, that one of my blogs arrived exactly when they needed it. You can imagine how good that feels to this former pastor who, week after week, wondered whether anything in a sermon had penetrated a listener’s spirit, much less was remembered.  A piece that appeared here two years ago I discovered has been on several people’s desks or bulletin boards and re-read each spring. So with apologies to those who may have re-read it already, I offer it again, somewhat revised, for those who have not.

I write this on the vernal equinox.  Today, Wednesday, the sun will be directly over the equator at 5:58 pm EST.  Outside my window I see snow; it doesn’t look like much is happening on this first day of spring. But if I look closely, I also see the small red buds on the maple tree out there. Half-inch daffodil shoots are pushing up near the garage.  Signs of spring, just barely visible.

And unseen, below ground bear cubs and fox kits, along with other hibernating species, are getting ready to poke small noses out of their den, waiting to explore a brand new world.

Seeds and bulbs beneath frozen dirt react to a huge burst of energy as they begin to stretch their way toward the light. This morning I heard a rooster crow across the way.   He knows that it’s time to get moving!  The other day, a friend showed me a pair of bluebirds at her suet cake; nearby a hungry flock of robins has devoured all the winter berries.  These birds and others are tanking up, I suppose, before beginning to house hunt for the ideal box or branch for a nest. And have you seen the finches and the cardinals and the ducks who have put on their spectacular mating plumage, all glossy green, highlighter yellow and brilliant red?  Heard their songs in the morning?

There is new life all around.

Dylan Thomas told us that “the force that through the green fuse drives the flower drives my green age”.    Whether we call that force God or Earth Energy, Shaddai or First Source, and whether we feel it or not, it is rising in us too. Let’s ask ourselves,” What is it that is just waiting to bloom in me this spring?”  And May The Force be with you.