On the fifth day of Creation, all across the sky,
God created brilliant creatures that He allowed to fly.
He gave them wings, beaks, feathers, and claws,
And He praised as “good” all that He saw.
~Christine Lamke, 4th grade teacher

Springtime, more than any other time of year, is a banquet for all the senses.  More than that it is a season in which humanity is bombarded with “expressions of God’s essence.”  To discover this all one has to do is venture in and spend time within a garden’s walls, and then he/she can’t help but notice that the roots therein reach deep down into the mystery of God’s life and bring His glory to the surface.

As fortune would have it, we who live in this area are blessed with early springtimes.  As a result the birds begin busily bringing in bits of grass and leaves to build new nests several weeks in advance of the vernal equinox.  Also since the hum of a small faction of bees is heard fairly early, we know it won’t be long before more of them as well as creatures of “nest, pond, or tree,” will be dining on the garden’s swelling numbers of tasty tidbits such as “insects, fruit, pollen, and seeds.”  The perks for me are watching this drama start to unfold as early as January or February and then in March and April being blessed with a host of “brilliant creatures” who “float, hover, swoop, soar, or fly” to the lovely silence of growing things in my garden.

And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”  ~Exodus 33:19  ✝

The last days of winter are here, and we are being blessed with birdsong–“the ecstasy of a lark in the sky; the music of a water-thrush when the sun comes out; the bell of a cuckoo that keeps ringing.”  So we ask the Source of all blessings to help us remember to join in with the songbirds and sing a song of gratitude for all the world to hear.

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.  ~Song of Songs 2:12

Winston Churchill was born into a family with a history of mental illness, and he too suffered repeated bouts of depression and suspected bipolar disease.  Churchill’s name for his depression was the “Black Dog.”  Although not mentally ill, I suffer, like many, with dark moments once in a while, and so, after watching a movie about Churchill years ago, I came to call my struggles in the “dark” as rounds with the “black dog.”  As it turned out my daughter happened to call “at the meltdown moment” in yesterday’s most recent scuffle with the “black dog.”  She reasoned me back to a place in the light by reminding me that I had once told her that people choose to be part of darkness or a part of the light.  As God’s children we are called to be people who bring His light into a fallen world where the forces of darkness run rampant.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”   ~John 8:12

Winter is a season often disdained because it gives the appearance of death and decay on an almost overwhelming scale.  But yearly we have proof that it’s nothing more than a season of dormancy and resting.  Old Man Winter, however, is such a master at a deception he tricks some into believing that all may be lost.  But if we watch the seasons and trust the promises of God, we know that trees hold summer’s secret, and that secret is one of light and life.  The branches of this tree may be bare and the nest empty, but the sight, rather than lending a feeling of despair, offers me a sense of hope.  For millions of years the song of many leaves have returned to trees and the sweet chirping of their winged tenants have rung from nests tucked safely in their hearts.  Some things do perish in winter, but many leave behind a seed that will bring more of their species to fruition.  Others just sort of shrink into the ground or their woodiness or secret chambers beneath the surface of the soil to be held in safety until days lengthen and the sun warms them back to life.

The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.  ~Genesis 1:12