It’s been a beautiful winter…as I wrote about last week. This first week of March in Maryland was still quite cold! And yet, there was a feel of spring in the air, with the upcoming week having a forecast of temperatures in the low 60s!

It was a weekend of more snow geese, on a frigid Saturday evening in Pennsylvania, still with snow on the ground. It was definitely representative of my gratitude for what this winter has been in discovering new pursuits and delight in nature.

A Sunday hike with sunshine brought thoughts of spring. I’ve also been starting to see daffodils shoot up in my neighborhood! The first sighting stirred something within me—my longing for spring. It’s felt especially poignant after a year of hardship, not only with COVID, but personally, after a year of back pain and surgery, which prevented me from experiencing spring last year.

I’ve been thinking of that for a few weeks, and working on some words to reflect it. Enjoy, and may the hope of springtime feel strong in your heart!

The sidewalk led me around the familiar neighborhood,
Strewn with vestiges of February’s ice and snow.
The sun set slowly behind me,
While the near full moon shone brightly ahead.
I rounded a corner and saw a neighbor’s flower bed, still with a few spots of snow,
With shoots of daffodils starting to emerge from the soil.
Something stirred in me, seeing those stems,
Pushing through the earth, starting their journey above ground.
With the sting of the winter winds gone, and birds chirping in the distance,
A few deep-seeded tears came to the surface,
Reflecting an ache and a hope;
A longing for spring,
For spaces long dormant to come alive.

I’ve been bundled in sweaters, scarves, and coats for months, a welcome relief from the cold,
A blessing I don’t overlook.
Home has cocooned me, protecting me from the elements,
But the long dark nights keep me inside and isolated.
Now I long to shed these layers and let the sun shine on my skin, to relish in a gentle breeze and soak up the warmth of rays of light.
To embark outside my four walls and explore the outdoors,
Free and unfettered.
Alive and attune to the natural world around me.

So intense is this desire,
I wonder what’s wrong with me,
Or where this is coming from.
Is it just my penchant for pretty flowers?
The exhaustion from shoveling snow?
The lack of sunlight?
Perhaps just my seasonal, and otherwise, depression.
And…
Or…
Is there something within our souls that is simply drawn to renewal?
Of songbirds,
Warm breezes,
Blooms,
And butterflies?

I don’t want to wish the winter out of existence.
There’s great beauty to be found in it;
I see this looking at the delicate intricacies of a small snowflake,
Or moonlight shining through a frozen forest of snow capped trees.
But it’s not just the beauty.
Acceptance of the season, and all of the necessary things that are happening,
Has allowed me to make peace with the winter.
Even in the hibernating, the quiet, the darkness,
There are meaningful things taking place;
And the rest, is restorative.

The cold cannot go on, though.
I am thankful for the wintering,
And acknowledge growth gained.
But the human heart is wired for winter to end;
The hope of spring is deep within.
And so, I don’t want these longings to languish;
To become numb and frozen,
Okay with an endless winter;
Because bulbs are no good if they stay buried.

Thus, in this transitioning time,
I welcome the gratitude for winter,
And the peace that comes with its acceptance,
And I also allow my longings for spring to be piqued.
I start looking for signs,
Harbingers like the daffodils,
And the pure happiness of a chorus of cardinals.
As they start to appear, and make themselves heard,
My spirit lifts and my heart feels lighter.
This is hope, in the watching and the waiting for springtime.

Newness and life alive is on the horizon.
This is what we were made for;
Each season has its place,
And the fall and winter will come again,
But it’s the regeneration that sings a sweet song to my soul.
The hope of springtime fuels the spirit;
Without it, how to go on?
It’s coming.
And so I wait, I watch.
I keep walking the path in front of me,
Seeing those shoots press further above ground each day.
The daffodils will be dancing soon.