I was thinking as I sat listening to the wind the other day that it *sounds* like spring – even though it’s downright cold! The sky is taking on that ‘early spring’ look, the snow is flattening a little; my orange tree in the living room is trying to put out some flowers. Even inside the house, somehow the plants know.
And I’ve been looking at the Breck’s catalogue, and marked off what’s going to be ordered for the garden – a new Siberian iris, purple and green coneflower, salvia and bee balm. It’s time to start the seeds for vegetables and tomatoes – to be ready for planting. My fingers are itching to get into the soil – no gloves for this gardener – but rather hands right into the dirt. Bare feet on fresh grass; walking by the lake and putting feet into the water. I can’t wait!
I love all the seasons. They each have a particular beauty of their own – even winter. Yes, we gripe about the cold and snow – but without good ground cover, and the moisture the snow brings to the soil as it melts, our gardens would die. No snow cover, the roses and lilies would freeze; without enough snow, there might not be enough moisture in the soil for spring crops on the farms. Everything is connected.
Back to those seeds….when the “foolish Corinthians” asked Paul how the dead are raised, he answered them. “How will the dead be raised to life? What kind of bodies will they have?” Don’t be foolish. A seed must die before it can sprout from the ground. Wheat seeds and all other seeds look different from the sprouts that come up.”
The seasons of the year and the seasons of our lives have a parallel – when we are born it is spring – when we are young it is summer, when we begin to show our age it is fall, and when we reach old age and death it is winter. All those seasons are necessary for the cycle of life here. Yet we believe there is another spring, another kind of life. Buddhists believe that after death we have a choice – we can choose to become one with all consciousness in the ‘great ocean’, or we can be reborn here, to continue trying to enlighten others in ‘the way’. Who knows if that’s true? We don’t. Only God does….
So listen to this lovely “Hymn of Promise”, and meditate…….
