HOPE BLOOMS

Blooms are everywhere, not knowing what might happen the next day.
Birds flit about with happy song.
A spirit of 'nesting' is in the air.

Who knew that April would bring more snow than rain thus far.
Who knew that spring blooms would weather the storm?
Forsythia is so amazing.
I think the reason Forsythia blooms so early is that there must be a sense of 'hope' in its DNA.
When the snow came, the blooms remained.

Forsythia is forever faithful.
Its blooms remind me that the roses need feeding.
Then I notice the rose bushes with red leaves beginning to pop rosy blooms in the future.

Early blooming shrubs, bulbs and whatever must indeed have the internal clock that says, "Bloom, no matter what happens, Bloom."
That sense of hope is so imbedded inside the stems that blooms POP in spite of snowy days.

Everyone knows that we can't plant until after Mother's day or May 15th, whichever comes last,
especially in these northern slopes that contend with wind chill temps that bring us below freezing in the middle of April.

In spite of the weather, Spring blooms and so does my spirit.
If blooms can keep moving forward with climate change at a moment's notice, I can too.

My life is changing again.
I've been through so much change over my life span that sometimes I think my soul is like Forsythia.

It does not matter the temperature of my life or the season of my life.
Change happens, whenever.
That sense of HOPE during those changes keeps me going.
The hope is so deep within my spirit that I automatically sense its strength.
My hope in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
My hope in the new covenant gift of Jesus Christ who completes my understanding of the Trinity.

Hope cannot last long without my hope in the One who IS . . .  forever . . . my salvation.

I grieve over friends made over the past few years who will remain where they are as I move on.
God called us into that family and God called us out.
All I have to do is follow God's lead, just as forsythia follows the lead of its DNA in nature.

It's natural for me to keep moving, keep looking forward, keep on keeping on, through storms or through sweet spring days when the sun shines endlessly after the dark winter passes.

Although I am edging toward the winter of my life, my spirit whispers hope of spring-like adventures.
I want to bloom again, in a different place with a different focus.

Yet, I'm called to step back for a few months, release all ties to my current vocation, and rest.
It all sounds wonderful.
Easier said than done.

Only the the Presence, the Spirit of God, will help me to remain quiet, be still, and remind me that Hope will draw me through each day.

Hope reminds me to REJOICE and give blessing for the gifts of each day.
Just like forsythia growing strong in the midst of a snow storm, I can grow, heal and grow strong during this time of change.
I'm getting excited about this new adventure in BEING and not doing.
HOPE blooms deep within me . . .  the hope that I can still be used by God in ways that naturally flow from my soul.