Having lived in places that really don't have four distinct seasons, I had no idea what to expect during spring in Vermont. What an amazing experience!
It's like an overnight sensation! Forget-me-nots were one of my mother's favorite flowers and on Mother's day this year we woke up to a beautiful sunny day, looked outside and the garden was full of flowering forget-me-nots! Honestly! The day before you could almost watch the green plants grow but there were no flowers.
But wait, there's more! Another of her favorite flowers were what we call 'heartsies' ¯ like violets or little pansies. Would you believe there were heartsies in between the forget-me-nots ¯ that I promise were not blooming the day before. Mum had sprung back into our lives in a very real way!
Going for a walk yesterday morning, a tree at the bottom of our driveway which was barren the day before was one mass of white blossoms! For those of you who are used to this, it's probably a bit ho hum to read this ¯ but when you have never experienced the energy and vitality of spring, it is awesome! See spring and your life with fresh eyes ¯ with awe and wonder.
And another thing! Last year before the most snow that Vermont has seen in years, we planted a little parsley bush ¯ it didn't have much of a chance to grow before winter, and I thought was doomed under feet of snow. Yesterday, I walked past the spot where we had planted it and to my amazement, there was the parsley bush ¯ well, really it's a few sprigs, but it was there! How awesome that all those life forces were stored in the cold so it could burst into life now.
Spring is all about growth and renewal really, isn't it! On my walk today I was looking at the lush greens and rapid growth and what it can mean to us ¯ apart from the joy all the gorgeous colors and flowers bring.
What is it in you that needs to blossom or come to life this spring? What is there budding inside you, ready to burst forth? Is there an inner drive or desire to create or learn something new? Is it time to take a new path in life that brings you purpose and meaning; to forgive someone, or restore a relationship that might have been 'under snow' for a few years; to bring color into your life; to renew? Is there something that you have wanted to do or felt you were meant to do that can emerge and unfold now? Take a little time to reflect on these questions!
Unfolding reminds me of the ferns I have been watching each day. They emerge from the earth, form the amazing koru as the Maoris call it in New Zealand ¯ that little spiral from which the tender fronds unfold each day upright, strong and beautiful. The koru, according to Maori legend, reaches towards the light, encouraging new positive beginnings; it represents the unfolding of new life; that everything is reborn and continues; it represents renewal and hope for the future. http://www.aotearoa.co.nz/bones/koru.html
How good a definition of spring is that!
What do you need to do to nourish and nurture your koru? Everyone here is madly preparing the soil now the snow has gone, and mowing their lawns (every couple of days the growth is so strong!) and planting their gardens. They are tilling, fertilizing and mulching. They are active and doing a lot of necessary work. Have you tilled, fertilized, mulched and done the work to prepare your inner garden for the seeds of spring?
Do you need to plant new seeds? Like hope, faith, generosity and kindness? Or perhaps it's time to absorb the energy and vitality that is around you ¯ are you exercising? Are you passionately or enthusiastically embarking on growth and renewal? Are you doing something ¯ moving at least in the direction you want to go, being active, making things happen?
If you have felt 'snowed under' or frozen for a long time, remember the koru, parsley and the forget-me-nots! They survived and often emerge stronger, with more flowers. Tough times can destroy us or make us stronger ¯ it's a choice! Choose spring; choose hope; choose to renew - return to your source and allow yourself to be fed. Then unfold and emerge with the full life force of spring.
Mum did ¯ forget me not!
The Koru
The koru, which is often used in Maori art as a symbol of creation, is based on the shape of an unfurling fern frond. Its circular shape conveys the idea of perpetual movement, and its inward coil suggests a return to the point of origin. The koru therefore symbolizes the way in which life both changes and stays the same.
From: http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/MaoriNewZealanders/MaoriCreationTraditions/1/ENZ-Resources/Standard/1/en
