“I remember too how spring came, just when I thought it might stay winter forever, at first in little touches and strokes of green lighting up the bare mud like candle flames, and then it covered the whole place with a pelt of shadowing green blades and leaves. And I remember how, as the days and the winds passed over, the foliage shifted and sang.” (Wendell Berry)
The last part of winter brings Lent, which can be a harsh season–even if you don’t choose to sacrifice something. This March brought us especially cold winds–the kind requiring full winter gear just to walk the dog.
The chill seems even worse since warm temperatures in February fooled us into thinking spring was already here. Winter lingers. It seems entrenched. We continue to feed the woodstove and pile blankets on at night. The hillsides wake up white some mornings.
Yesterday, our world was a never settling snow globe.
In a few days, the sun will melt away the white. The lavender-blue hills will reappear awaiting spring green soon to follow.
Life is a series of seasons. Some are beautiful, warm, and easy. Some are cold and trying. All hold the purpose of drawing us to God and shaping us for eternity, shaping us to live in a beautiful place outside time without sacrifice, without pain.
Shaping us for eternal spring. The Lenten season is short. Warmth and new growth lie ahead.
Easter is coming.
Restoring the Shattered
We experienced February’s warm front and then cold snap here in SE WA too. The last flurries were weeks ago, but the troughs continue to cover with ice. Bulb beds and trees are determined to announce the Resurrection!
My husband–a meteorologist–assures me that the great turnaround is coming next Tuesday. We cross-country skied in the park today–surely for the last time this winter. Looking forward to the warmth–just in time for Holy Week. Thanks for commenting! God bless!