The Crocus!

The Crocus are blooming here in Ashland.  I caught these the other day on a walk with Joy.  Doesn't that sound like a nice title for a blog?  "Walking with Joy!"  There are many lovely things about having a little dog named "Joy." 

I am feeling a bit spoiled here in the Rogue Valley where the weather has been so mild over the winter.  Far different than spending it in New York.  You know when I moved back there some 15 years ago now, the first winter we had 6 feet of snow within a very short time.  I was definitely asking myself "why in the world?" I had moved there.  Now I am back here and though I'm feeling spoiled, I'm happy. 

It's such fun to look for signs of spring.  It's a familiar topic, but somehow it never grows old for me.  The crocus, the daffodils, the robins (who never really left here), the little wildflowers popping back up amidst the grass.  I always loved when the peepers started singing back in upstate New York.  Spring there was in sharp contrast to the harsh winter months. 

Last week this poem came flowing out of me, so I thought I'd share it.

The wind came
raucously dancing
down the hills in a frenzy
of whirls and swirls,
slipping into my pocket,
laying claim to a bag
hurled, wildly away
joining the fun.
And the little black dog
braced herself in the
mighty gusts,
one ear flattened against her head
and the other straight out
pointing off to the west.
The wind came,
raucously dancing,
laughing, her fingers
mussing my hair,
her invisible self,
pressed hard against my body...
Such frivolity
in lent of all seasons!
She seemed to shout her "Alleluias"
without compunction
or regret.

I always remember a spring day in New Testament class during my seminary years.  The professor was talking about the meaning of pneuma, and all the while the wind raged outside the window, sweeping away the dried leaves to who knows where?  And there in that little room I felt spirit rushing through us, whisking away our dried up beliefs, our old ways of thinking and making room for something new.

What old stuff is Spirit wanting to whisk away from your life?

Spring is a grand time of year!