Seasons …….Winter and Coming Spring
It’s February in our parts, and we are still feeling very chilly nights, but gradually our days are getting longer, our daytime temps are inching upwards and the snowdrops are in full bloom. They are a cold weather flower after all, but just seeing them mixed within the left over fall foliage of our woodlands in Parkfairfax, is the most hopeful and pretty sight one can see in February, in Virginia. And the Lenten Roses are also in full bloom. It reminds me of the saying, Hope Springs Eternal during our Lenten Season.
This is a special time of year when we start to receive moderate inquiries about cleanups and about new plantings for the upcoming early spring season. And folks who are our regulars are checking in to see what supplies they need to reorder for their garden boxes. Then they are ready for us to arrive and begin our early spring chores to prep for the “first blooms of spring.” We ourselves have bloomers in our beds and now is an excellent time to tidy the beds around them, and to cut back any of their growth that might have been bitten by the very colder days we have had up to this point. You will be astonished that within about a weeks time, simply refreshing each bloomer will result in lush new and beautiful spring growth, which is more prolific and colorful. Very soon as temps are occasionally becoming milder and days are becoming longer you will find fresh Pansies and Primroses at your local Nursery. We ourselves planted both of these early in December, while Virginia temps, due to our global warming trends, allowed for these flowers to be planted before spring. Frankly, they have grown and thrived all winter. So now with a lovely 60ish warming trend breezing in over the next seven days, we will be tidying our own beds, Re-digging our deep edges to accommodate springs rainy days and we will add fresh mulch as time permits. All the fall leaves are pretty much gone and even new small sprigs of grass can be noticed in our common element grassy areas. And if you are inclined to rake your areas you will find that old, dead and very spent blades of grasses will let go….and new growth will begin very quickly after you rake. It’s so satisfying. Not to mention how it thrills your soul to watch as Mother Nature replenishes our world with “new.”
I find that this tidying process is so like what we humans, who honor the Lenten season experience. We shed our unpleasant habits, we reflect on our spiritual lives and how we can begin to practice a new time of seasonal giving, praying and fasting, as we proceed through our 40 days of Lent.
Lent is a time of sorrow, but also a time of new hope. And if we think on this carefully, we can find that our relationship life can become new again, if we tidy up our souls and ponder our own shortcomings, by entering into a new vow with our God, to put away our old ways of the past year. Then we can bring forth our new selves. Personal reflection and renewal brings us to new Lenten spiritual practices. It is indeed a holy time. We confess our sin and pray about our gratitude to God for all our abundant blessings. Our gardens reward us with new blooming phases, and our relationship with God blooms new life into our souls. So let us nurture a thankful heart that is filled every day with gratitude during these Lenten days.
My special friend and “companion” who nourishes and encourages me almost daily, is always feeding me new scriptures and examples of ways that I can reignite my faith. His ever faithful reminders and research on topics of faithful promises that only my creator can give me, are always “spot on” in his walk with me, as we continue to combine our faith life. With Gods great love for us, we are slowly but steadily growing in our faith walk together. For in this life we travel nothing is really more important. And although we are apart our daily sentiments of great care for each other, penetrates our hearts and leads us both to a much closer relationship with out great and all loving God and our new beginning of the upcoming spring season.