Open to the Spirit
Today’s word: Spring
1) I love living in Canada, where we have 4 distinct seasons. Springtime brings memories from my childhood on a farm: ice cracking on the stream behind the house and the sound of rushing water, getting rid of heavy winter clothes, picking flowers in the woods. Spring brings hope and possibilities. Of course there were also new chores: plowing, planting, checking the wire fences for breaks, letting the cows out after morning milking, then bringing them in late in the afternoon. Our work increased, but we had so much fun outdoors.
In religious life spring also offers hope, plus more work and planning. One tradition is Annual meetings. At the end of every year, usually in January, we review the past and prepare for the future. One church nearby in Ottawa came up with a different method of operation. They had 2 Annual meetings. (Don’t be scared church people). Each winter they would go over the books, and report on activities. Then in May would come meeting number two. With spring came new energy, and new ideas. Creative projects came up, and they had excitement as they planned for the summer and fall. hard times.” Lam. 3:25-27 (paraphrase)
Spring is now officially here. The
3 4 crocuses have bloomed and golf courses ) I have never experienced the ) “In the spring, I have counted are open. Let’s enjoy the outdoors, but first days of spring like I have 136 different kinds of weather also begin some new chores, to plan since I moved to Montreal. After inside of 24 hours.” This quote and work for a better world. months of cold and hiding inside, on by Mark Twain says it all for me. Like
that first day when the weather is just all transitions from one extreme to ) It’s hard to believe spring is upon right--a few degrees above too cold, but another, spring’s a messy business. us. When I look back winter seems not quite up to hot--the streets fill up This week in the morning I sat with to have been a never-ending story with smiling people and those familiar steaming tea cup admiring the almost of closures and restrictions, statistics sounds of the joy of spring. I love this hint of greening in the grass field and rule changes. I for one have just day as much as anyone, and the world beyond the deck. By lunchtime, all been looking down, putting one step and my emotions in a very real way was covered by a half-inch of snow. in front of the other, getting done seem to become so much brighter. Later that afternoon, a bright sun had what needs to be done. When I look up We always say that spring is a melted it completely. And so it will goes for a change, what do I see? Greening time of rebirth and change, and it is indefinitely. Here in the northland, grass? Early flowers in the garden? hard to deny this as we see the flowers swinging between cold and warmth, What a joy! What a surprise! Mornings blooming and the leaves start to grow. snow and rain, while we relish each start earlier. Evenings last longer. Time Yet, in reality it seems like this is above blossom emerging from the thawing stretches, expands, makes room for all a season of transition. Spring gives ground, rejoice in the daffodils peeking more life! As the birds sing and soar us a calm and light-filled way to move through and the rhubarb returning on up from the trees, so also do our spirits from one extreme to the other. From cue, we keep our heavy jackets handy soar, in tune with nature. Our energy the bitterness of winter to the heat of a bit longer. And put off putting away rises like the sap in the maple trees. summer, this welcome time of year the snowbrushes and shovels.
Spring surprises us, but this year, allows us to delicately maneuver our What can we learn from this as opposed to last year, we can feel way through these seasons. complicated season? So beyond the ourselves on a little firmer ground. The Talmud offers a beautiful usual themes of renewal, regeneration, We can see the light at the end of our teaching about walking the “middle resurrection and new beginnings, Covid tunnel. We need to hold on, stay path”, an idea of course, that is found in we might learn from nature how the course. The author of Lamentations a similar vein in other faith traditions. to remain resilient in the midst of would approve. “The Spirit of Life On one side of this path are the fiery change. She seems to be saying, before affirms that life is good to the those flames of passion and strength. This winter goes, time for one more lesson. who wait patiently and those who energy is what is needed in life to make Huge changes are a process. We too, nurture their spirits. It’s a good thing our way through tough times, to fight like Earth herself, waver on the brink to hold onto hope and stick it out in for justice and stick up for our values, of change. Gathering our strength for and is what makes up the passion the act of blossoming. While hope, we find when we fall in love. On the like the sun, bids us like seeds reach other side we have the ice, which beyond ourselves and grow. could be seen as simple ambivalence, We’ve made it through the yet which is also often needed to offer challenges of winter, a new season is at perspective and shove us back into hand. If we backslide now and then, we reality when we most need it. Move too know we are moving toward warmth. far into one side, we get either frozen, And peace and love and justice. And for or we get burned. The belief is that to courage, listen to the brave little birds live successfully and to find a way to who keep returning, singing their stay emotionally healthy in our life hearts out. Surely a new day is at hand. and relationships, we need to do our best to try to stay in the middle. There will be moments when we need to veer a little bit to the heat, to the passion to keep moving forward, and those when we need to throw ourselves into the ice to wake ourselves up from the all consuming fire.
Spring can be this middle path.
It is a welcome time of transition from one extreme to another. Especially after such a challenging year, if we give ourselves time to learn and reflect, the lessons we find now can become part of who we are. Take the time now, and when things get tough, and they will, we will know just how to make our way
2forward.
One word, 4 voices, Spring is here. How will that affect your life ?
Rev. Mead Baldwin pastors the Waterville & North Hatley pastoral charge; Rabbi Boris Dolin leads the Dorshei-emet community in Montreal; Rev. Lee Ann Hogle ministers to the Ayer’s Cliff, Magog & Georgeville United Churches; Rev. Carole Martignacco, Unitarian Universalist is retired from ministry with Uuestrie and now resides in St. Andrews by-the-sea NB, but keeps one foot in the Townships by continuing with this column.