Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Dearest God,

Pruned Russian Sage and Butterfly Bush branches littered the Contemplative Garden. Sunday had been a beautiful, sunny day, a perfect day to cut back plants. But Monday had brought rain. So the debris remained on Tuesday morning.

I sat at the kitchen table eating my Raisin Bran when something caught my eye. A brown and reddish orange bird perched on the broken limbs. She looked around, as if to seek approval for her presence. She hopped from branch to branch, her beak searching for nesting materials. She pulled and pulled, until at last she found just the right twig. Locked in her tiny jaws, she flew away, to begin building.

What a meaningful site, an indication that Spring had arrived. It had not been a particularly bad winter, but the view of a female robin preparing to build her soon-to-be birthed birds a home was a breathtakingly scene. I felt Spring emerge in my own soul.

How lovely are the seasons, designed by God. One seems to move effortlessly into the other. Wasn't it just winter? And before that Fall? One fabric, unfolding, revealing the next spectacular color?

I love each season, always have. I get excited about the trees budding in spring, the flowers in the summer, the colorful leaves in the Fall, the first snow flakes of winter. And my soul is refreshed when I step into the next season. There is always a newness on the planet somewhere. And my garden follows suit.

The view of my garden as I ate my breakfast inspired me. I felt a sudden physical gesture welcoming in the new season of Spring. My mind still carries the vision of the mother bird preparing for the next chapter in her own life.

Soon the garden will fully come to life. Nasturium, roses, lilacs, peonies, hostas and iris will bud, blossom, and beautify the landscape. I will gaze upon my garden beauty and know that God is so very present. I will pray, meditate, give thanks, and maybe even dance to the tune of God's loveliness. I will experience hope, a reminder that nothing remains the same. God is ever evolving, reminding human creatures that there is a sacfred design for all that there is. A vision of paradise.

Everlasting God,
visions of your presence
keep me watchful.
In a bird,
a budding flower,
a counsellee
who suddenly grows
in insight, joy, hope and peace.
It is Spring,
the sudden awareness
of new life
bursting forth.
A salute to the majesty
of an ever-creating God.
My heart sings a new song.

Love always, Andrea