JOY IN THIS MOMENTARY SEASON

At the beginning of April, I changed our home altar from a somber Lenten decor to a springtime theme. Our canvases of dogwood blossoms are lovely, but they cannot compare to the flowering trees in our neighborhood as creation now blooms anew!

Nature is providing timely lessons for me in this season. Every spring the sprouts and blossoms reappear, displaying joy and hope in their fragile flowers and buds. Their blossoming time is fleeting and precious, for soon a springtime wind will carry them away or a morning frost will nip them. Their blossoming time is also natural and necessary, for the abundant fruit and leaves are waiting for their turn to flourish. So, April is inspiring me to celebrate this moment with joy, and to trust that a more abundant fullness will come with my next season.

Winter brought a few physical challenges and in turn, spiritual challenges as well. I often became discouraged by my hip pain, exacerbated by the cold, damp weather and then a mild case of shingles. * My confidence was shaken when I spent the night in an emergency center after I fainted while staying with my daughter and grandsons. I am usually an optimist, but during our prayer time one February morning, I tearfully looked at Jim and admitted my despair.

Now, as I regard the perfect way all of creation is bursting with delicate, colorful, and fragrant beauty–just for this moment–I am trying to regard my own fragile season as precious and fleeting, and to radiate with an inner joy while I wait for my next season. Our lives are filled with personal, seasonal cycles–times to flourish or wait, produce or rest, adapt or heal, lie fallow or grow, mature or refresh, prepare or surrender. Each season can reveal a gift for us if we remain open and observant.

In that hope, I am grateful.

May I celebrate the gifts of this fragile yet beautiful waiting season,
find hope in the new life greening and growing,
scatter daily blessings as blossoms of joy,
let this momentary time teach and inspire,
and await the coming of a new and certain season of growth.

* Thank you for your prayers, Sandy, Kay, and any others who have prayed as I wait for my hip replacement. My spirit is much better these days. I will see the surgeon in two weeks!

A note about the shingles virus:
I had the original shingles vaccine years ago, but not the newer Shingrix vaccine. My case was mild–my rash was only about 1.5″ in diameter–but the shooting nerve pain and fatigue were troublesome. I believe the fainting was most likely caused by the shingles virus in my neck vertebrae. I share this with you in case you are considering the Shingrix. For me, it is a wise choice–and I will get this soon.

(Photos by Karen)