blossom
At the dawning of the sun the mist was rising from the surface of the pond. Miss Gracie the Golden was searching for a suitable spot to deliver her morning deposit as the sounds of grackles and crows were distracting her. Suddenly from the depths of the valley below the pond, a gobbling warning from a wild tom turkey arose three times. Something must have threatened the flock for such a stern warning to have erupted. Whether fox, raccoon, coyote, or snake we will not know, but we do know the warning gobbles ceased. Gracie returned to her quest for just the right spot and found the location worthy of her deposit. Life could now return to its scheduled agenda of preparing morning coffee and listening to the voracious canine consumption of the morning feed. Life frequently offers up distractions from our otherwise intended agenda. Our challenge is to discern the nature of the distraction as either inconsequential or as a warning of something being amiss. Aches and pains are considered part of the aging process and are often treated as simple distractions. Sometimes persistent pains emerge that require more than mere accommodation. They require our attention to uncover their nature and potential intention. Sometimes the source can be identified and its effect may be either eliminated or diminished. At other times the source may remain unknown and can only be addressed with palliative care. In either case a basket of gratitude from which blossoms of thankfulness may be picked lifts one’s spirit and shines a brighter light on one’s journey.
Evidence of spring manifests itself more each day. As the unseasonable warmth descends upon the fields and forest daffodils are blossoming in places one would never dream of finding them. Fields and lawn are becoming greener each passing day. Even with the forecast cautioning the arrival of the next unseasonable cold front, new life springs forth in budding plants and flowers. Windows open wide invite a soothing and refreshing breeze through the old farmhouse taking with it the stale confines of winter air harbored during cold days by the old stove. Refreshing and renewing, these spring days give testimony to the cycle of life that inhabits our world. We enjoy the replenishing arrival of this season and recognize that it too will give way to another, then another, and yet another before its arrival again after the earth’s repositioning. The invasion of foolishness would have us believe that this is the “best” season in which to live and insist that life must conform to our belief. This folly is easily recognized, yet so many of us seize the notion that physical agility and flexibility “must” be the norm through all situations at all times. As one “adapts” to the change in seasons so too can one “adapt” to the variations in physical agility without “needing” it to be different at that moment. Just as surely as seasons change so too do the manifestations of physical abilities change, sometimes from hour to hour. Although the “winter” of abilities may visit one may be assured that the “spring” of relative relief may also be on the horizon. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13