Spring has arrived in her fullest glory! The air smells so fresh and new and bright. Days seem to make little patterns with rainfall and sunshine, and the nights are sweet and gentle. Bumblebees are buzzing about, and the delightful sound of birdsong can be heard even through the windows early in the morning. Daffodils and tulips courageously push through the soil and bring with them the cheer of color and life as they seek to deliver hope to the earth. Our wisteria is growing wild and free and is entangled along the fence. Redbud trees are bursting forth with soft purplish blossoms and the dogwoods are soon to bloom. Azaleas are shining with a myriad of colors making a rainbow of flowers in gardens all around town. Springtime has truly returned. And the earth has awakened from her long winter slumber.
A daffodil pushing up through the dark earth to the spring, knowing somehow deep in its roots that spring and light and sunshine will come, has more courage and more knowledge of the value of life than any human being I've ever met.
~Madeleine L'Engle
~Madeleine L'Engle
As I ponder the craziness and oftentimes, heaviness of the world, I am reminded once again of the gift of our earth's seasons. After a long, grey winter, the sight of bright yellow daffodils was the first thing to signify that spring was on her merry way. She would soon be back for yet another year of splendour and beauty.
It is my belief that the earth holds many secrets and lessons for us, if only we slow down, still ourselves and listen to her ancient wisdom. I believe that each season holds gifts, too many to count, and we need to notice them. Our senses allow us to experience these gifts in abundant ways. From seeing the gentle snowfall in wintertime to spring's plethora of colorful blossoms to summer's lush green meadows and finally the way autumn's leaves rustle in the wind and dance in the streets. We smell the air right before a spring rain and honeysuckle on a warm summer morning, cinnamon wafting from the kitchen in autumn and the scent of firewood lingering in the air on a frigid winter's eve. We can touch icicles hanging off our homes in January and feel the softness of a lamb's ear in the spring, the smooth tree trunk of a crepe myrtle in August, and the crinkle of an autumn leaf in October. Our tastebuds get quite the treat when watermelon and tomatoes and peaches are in season come midsummer and spring's Easter feast brings forth a delicious ham and sweet potatoes and perhaps a lovely dessert to go with. Autumn boasts in delicious spices that make bread baking extra special, especially when paired with a cup of steaming herbal tea, and winter allows us to savour comfort foods a bit more as stews and soups are on the menu each week. Finally, the sounds of the season...rain trickling gently down the window in springtime and the loud crash of thunder in summer, autumn's crunchy leaves underfoot as we walk paths or trails and winter's crackling firewood bringing warmth and coziness to the home.
Seasons are one of those magical gifts if you ask me. I believe that the seasons are teachers there to inspire imagination and instill wonder within us. To create a lasting hunger for beauty that can never be fully quenched, no matter how beautiful something is. A desire to walk in tune with earth's seasonal rhythms is a good, good thing. Dare I even say a wise thing. Living seasonally is one of the secrets to the abundant life. When we seek to live in harmony with the earth, journeying with her and being for her instead of against her, a peaceful life comes as a result.
When we purpose to live slower and cherish simple ways, we are given a much grander gift than we ever deemed possible. Peace. Calm. Purpose. Value. Love. Kindness. Gentleness. Grace. Beauty. Joy. Happiness.
The seasons also invite us into a world of wonder and magical bliss. The whole world is creeping with enchantedness, but we are so blind to even notice it. How often do we even stop to smell the roses anyway? How many times do we just rush about our days, hurrying off here and there, caught up completely in the hustle and bustle the world calls success and the good life and the "American dream"? I submit to you that there is a better way of life. A much richer life, a more meaningful life, a life full of value and purpose and goodness and beauty that overflows beyond your wildest imagination. Sometimes you just need to wipe your eyes a bit, attune your senses more carefully and just be still for crying out loud. Then you can notice. Really, truly notice.
Mary Oliver offers wise advice on such a life...
Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.
May we be people who notice and truly see the goodness of the earth's splendour and beauty. May we walk in harmony with her seasonal rhythms, learning from her wisdom and stories along the journey. May we make small, simple steps each day toward a more meaningful life...embracing slowness, quietness, hiddenness, for the earth does not do things quickly, nor does she do them loudly or with great fanfare. Everything in nature gets accomplished in just the perfect time, and everything is made beautiful in its time. May we take heed to that and live by that example.
Bless you, dear friends! I hope your week is lovely!
♥