Springtime’s a Comin’
Spring is on the way! Last Thursday and Friday the weather was so nice. In the 50's. With the snowdrops and daffodils popping up, it was almost impossible to not go outside every chance that came along.
But then, wow, what happened? By Saturday morning things had changed, the temperature dropped into the teens, snow was blowing everywhere and the roads were covered and slick. The spring flowers were buried, and the hope of spring was pretty much blown away.
And life can be a little bit like that as well. Great days, followed by storms. Or days of cold and dreary, followed by days of cold and dreary.
And as we watch the war in the Ukraine, we can't help but think that all hope for peace is gone. And springtime seems a long way off. But as I was driving home from work and listening to a sound bite from Ari Shapiro on NPR, I couldn't help but get a glimpse of hope. He was interviewing a truck driver that was hauling humanitarian aid into the Ukraine. Ari seemed dumbfounded as there were tons of food, blankets and water that were being delivered by a grassroots group that had just sprung up within the last two weeks. It was started by eleven guys in Poland getting together and asking themselves and brainstorming how they could help. Ari's comment, "It's hard enough for the UNHCR, which has an international infrastructure to stand up something like this - how did this completely improvised system get built in two weeks?"
Last week my aging dad got several shocks from his defibrillator. The good news from his stay in the hospital was that his defibrillator was out of whack and not his heart. The bad news was that while he was there they discovered lots of cancer in lots of places. There will be more tests coming. That was some ugly news that none of us were expecting. Even with the bad news, when dad was able to come home, he was at peace. And not only that. He was excited to hear the geese on the pond, honking about their new nest that they were building and welcoming him home.
Down under the snow the daffodils are waiting. It doesn't all make sense but there is hope and we know that they will soon be blooming again. Their botanical name is Narcissus, which means rebirth and why they are often referred to as the Easter Lily.
And with Easter just around the corner, we can't help but remember that there is hope, often oblivious and unknown to the orchestrations and limitations of men.
But deep in our hearts we just know that there’s something better.
Springtime's a comin'.
