To Reach Skyward

         

By John W. Vander Velden

 

If time is a teacher, then what can we learn from spring? 

 

When the sun grows stronger, warming the countryside dampened by recent rains, we see the first leaves that have escaped the swollen buds, as trees awaken from their long rest.  Along fence rows and roadside, we notice slender green shoots that have pierced the matted brown of last year’s remnants. And our eyes notice the small wildflowers, of white and blue that decorate the floor of our neighbor’s woods.  A fresh breeze fills our nostrils with the sweet scent of violets and carries the sound of the wood thrush from the tree tops high above.  The fortunate notice the black and white Holstein as she coaxes her new born calf, to rise unsteadily on wobbly legs in the nearby pasture.  Yes, we see new life popping up all over, yard and field, roadside and forest.

But not all we see is new.  Though we might not notice, much of spring is the reawakening of nature that has dozed through the cold months, only to stretch and yawn to another year.  Starting again is not necessarily starting over.  And moving forward does not mean abandoning everything that was before.  Spring is a time for beginnings – fresh from scratch, or to take off from what had been, to places new.

Too often we feel trapped by our past.  Too often beginnings seem impossible.  But if we look at spring, and see how the mighty oak can shake off the winter.  How the robin returns from a distant place to nest once more.  Then we should know that we too can cast off the past, to build something new, or find the courage to complete older endeavors.  We need not wait until spring to reawaken our best or to try new things.  Spring reminds us, we always have the ability to change and to grow. 

This is the time, to begin new possibilities and to build upon the things that are your best.  This is the day to reach skyward. 

(339 Words)