It is springtime. That glorious time when I get to play in the garden. Make the grass just so when I mow it. Plant flowers and shrubs and grass and, well, all of that. I could spend all of my hard earned money on the yard and on the garden. I have to really control myself.
I have always enjoyed working in the garden, mowing the lawn, and doing things outdoors. It has kept me sane. As a professor and a therapist, I never really get to know if what I have done or taught was successful. Yes, grades for students and growth for clients can be seen, but I have no control over it, learning and change are in the hands of Another. The yard and garden are places where I can see the fruit of my labor. The yard is mown and perfect, the flowers fill the world with color and I get to say I did that. Well okay, I really didn’t create flowers or grass but you get the idea, I get to see what I have done.
I find it interesting that the Resurrection and Pentecost are set in the Spring. I really don’t think that is accidental. Spring is the time of starting over, of our own resurrection from the dark of winter. In Celtic spirituality, it is Beltane, that time when the world is fertile and full of potential and full of new growth. I find myself drawn to a spirituality that honors creation, honors the earth, honors the seasons. By doing so, it honors this wonderful creation that the Divine has made us all a part of.
I think the phrase “grow where you are planted” is a bit trite but it does call us all to a most important point. We only have this moment and this place in time. We are often so busy, we do not enjoy this moment. We want so badly to be in control and often to be somewhere else and that causes us to miss this moment. It takes energy and determination to get a plant to grow. How much more for us to grow.
Yes, it is Spring. Everything is beginning to bloom. Are you? Have you nurtured that tender young seedling so that it can grow into what it was meant to be? Think of it this way, every day is a resurrection for us all. We only have to be willing to nurture ourselves, to allow ourselves to be who we are each created to be. To bring forth the best blooms from our lives, now and in this moment.
TMM