Here in the Northern Hemisphere, as spring seriously settles in, we are given a balm to soothe our weary, stressed and anxious souls. The COVID-19 pandemic can turn our days to a monochromatic drama of fear, uselessness and cabin fever. Our personal identity is often bound up with how many hours we work, how much we produce, and our usefulness, whether in our jobs or in our volunteer work. For those taking the stay-at-home order seriously, we are forced into near isolation, confined to the building we call home — whether a house, a condo or an apartment — and deprived of our daily excursions to the workplace, local shops or stopping by to visit friends.
If we take the time to look or get outdoors, we see a different sight. Where we are withdrawing, spring is expanding. The grass grows green and taller; spring bulbs spring up and offer us the yellows, pinks, reds and purples of daffodils, hyacinths and tulips; tree branches seem to swell as buds appear; fruit and ornamental trees are frosted in white and pink blossoms. We have the extraordinary (definitely out of the ordinary) chance this spring to slow down, to look around, to breathe consciously and deliberately. We can open our eyes and drink in the visual feast that is being set before us.
The old saying is that when God closes a door, God opens a window. This year the door of our usual life and activity is closed, so let’s take the opportunity to open our windows, look out and let the peace and energy of spring embrace us.
– Blog entry and photo by Sister Joyce Lehman
Even confined to our own places we cannot miss the spring cycle of our life. Maybe we will have the time to smell the roses and see the new life coming. Thank you for your timely article.