After a long, challenging winter, we are all ready for a change.
The little birds are stacking up at the feeders like jets waiting to land at Logan. The sun is climbing higher in the sky every morning and staying around for a few more precious moments every evening. The pussy willow is covered with new shoots full of furry catkins. A new season of rebirth and renewal has arrived.
Sitting down under the pergola to rest after planting the first crop of leaf lettuce (peas already planted), I can almost taste spring in the air. I can certainly smell it. The thawing earth has a distinct scent, almost musky as well as muddy. Once when we had been on a ship for a week and were headed for port, one of the crew members said we’d know when we were close to land because we could smell it. And we did.
This year I have a new, little plastic tunnel to protect the tender seedlings. I have it set up on the patio, hoping the pavers will hold enough heat to raise the temperature those few critical degrees. I also put gallon jugs full of water inside to also help mitigate the temperature swing. It’s a year of learning and trying new things; but I am so much looking forward to new challenges and eventual rewards.
Today, I harvested some pussy willow branches to decorate the Easter table. Sometimes I add forsythia to the bouquet, which is easily forced into bloom. This year, the catkins are so full and lush that they will be the solo stars of the arrangement.
Though the pandemic still rages, I feel a bit more at ease because I’ve been vaccinated. More than the physical assurance, my spirit is bursting into bloom like the little crocus flowers in the lawn and the primrose in the border nearest the house. I believe in the resurrection of Christ, and this year especially, I believe that we are also being raised up out of darkness into light.
It’s no surprise that Easter takes place in the spring. There are so many signs and symbols of rebirth everywhere. Birds are building nests and laying eggs. Baby animals are on display at Hancock Shaker Village. Who can resist a baby lamb, gamboling in the meadow?
We are being reborn, too. We are shedding our winter coats and warming our faces in the sunshine. Our musty, crusty old skin is being shed as the cobwebs are being swept out of our reawakening minds. Breathe deeply in that cool, fresh air and feel a lightness of being inflate you. Swell up into the self you want to be. See the changes all around you and believe in the possibilities of change for yourself.
I love everything about the Easter season, from the religious rituals to the secular customs of coloring eggs and filling straw baskets with chocolate treats. I especially love being with my family for a traditional Easter brunch. We may still not all be able to gather around the table, but we have mastered the art of electronic visitation. We will all have a small taste of horseradish to remember my mother’s promise that it would “chase the devil away.” We have all learned the hard way that too big a taste will make you gasp and make your eyes water; but that’s part of the tradition, too.
As we share our Easter bread, sitting at our festive table, we recall the breaking of bread as Eucharist. The symbolism is not lost on me. Bread is so basic, and so necessary to life.
Love shared among family and friends is also a requirement of existence. May we never take any of these experiences for granted.
Bagikan Berita Ini
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