As we head toward the summer solstice on June 20th, my flowers are enjoying the warmer and rainy weather. Each year they remake themselves after the cold dormant days of winter, opening up to the enticing rays of the sun.
For many of us, life had not become a time of rhythms like we find in nature, but instead it was a constant, weary battle. We’d spend our days struggling to get “caught up”, crossing 80% off our daily “to-do list”, but never 100%. We didn’t have a quiet rest as our dreams of things left undone would awaken us in the middle of the night, nagging at our unconscious, as if thinking about it more would make it go away. I’ve always dwelled in Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Each day seems to bring about new worries; or magnifies old ones that never seemed to get fully reconciled.
This spring has been different for us all. I am one of the lucky ones who can work from home and I don’t need to go out much. I’m even enjoying my new-found convenience of having groceries delivered! What has been the biggest change is the time that I have repurposed. I no longer have a 1-1/2 hour daily commute. I can enjoy my morning coffee with my golden retriever puppy and then start to work by heading upstairs.
I’m more aware how nature handles its seasons as well as its adversities. We had a significant tornado hit Nashville with significant property damage just weeks before COVID-19. Many homes are being rebuilt slowly as delays in supplies continue with the disruption of normal delivery patterns. But rebuild they will; it will take time.
Time. Time. Time. I’m spending mine differently now. I can see my rose bushes and hydrangeas as they grow each day, appreciating each blossom and every raindrop. I can watch my neighbors riding bikes with their children as I walk my puppy, Santiago, who also grows every day.
There is a different cadence to life when you stop to look at what is going on around you; God’s handiwork is still carrying on.
In this season, I hope that amidst all the anxiety and worries, you have also found new joys.
Blessings, my friend,
Agatha