With plenty of ice and snow on the ground, the weather people are telling us to prepare for another round of winter weather. I wonder who the patron saint of spring might be. We need his/her help, and soon.
As I was walking around the nearly frozen pond at a retreat center a few weeks ago, I thought about how beautiful the grounds are there in spring. I got to thinking about the bulbs just below the solidly frozen topsoil, covered in snow.
Like the retreat center, I have hundreds of flower bulbs planted on my property, and on days like today, I long for the beauty that comes with spring. Sure, snow is beautiful too, but we’ve had what seems like weeks of it now, and I’m ready for a change.
Those bulbs pictured above are just waiting for their chance, buried deep in the soil right at the top of my retaining wall. Probably frozen solid right now, when things warm up, they’ll break through the surface of the soil and within weeks, bloom in an explosion of color. And then the cycle begins again…
As I’ve been reflecting on the retreat I led a few weeks ago, I was struck with the idea that for many of us, the best of ourselves lie just below the surface. We are ready for new possibilities, ready to bloom in our own way, using our unique gifts.
The question is, what do we need to do to achieve our “break-through”? What’s blocking us, like that frozen topsoil holding down the tulip bulbs in my back yard?
As I type this, it’s starting to snow, ever so lightly. Another round. Another reminder that it’s not yet spring. But I can dream about the possibilities of what’s to come. Transformation… renewal and growth…new life… hope.
