I'm pretty sure most of us would agree that this winter has been beyond brutal. The continued arctic cold, snow storms and ice have left us wondering if we'll ever see spring again. So I've decided to put my focus on all things spring. I'm watching gardening videos, rooting new plants from old cuttings, reading my gardening magazines, and letting a YouTube video of spring meadows and the sound of birdsong play in the background as I go about my day indoors where it's warm. Hey, a girl can dream.
One of the things I dream about are the first flowers of spring. Most people would list things like daffodils and crocuses, and they would be right. However, for me the first flowers of spring have always been the snowdrops. In the Northern Hemisphere they may flower in late winter before the vernal equinox. They are hardy little plants and the sight of them pushing courageously through the snow to spread the hope that spring is really on its way fills my heart with joy. When I lived out in that small country village many years ago and winter could, and often did, stretch its arms into April, it was the arrival of the snowdrops outside my door fighting to hold their dainty little heads up that kept me going. I took it as a message from Mother Nature that winter doesn't last forever and we just have to keep our own heads up and look to the sun.
I often think that my greatest lessons in life have come from nature, from the plants, trees, and animals. If a tiny little bird can keep spreading its wings in the cold, and a gentle little plant can push its way up through the snow, who are we to complain? We just have to keep the boots and the shovel handy for a while longer ... and start combing through those seed catalogs with visions of green in our hearts.
And so it is
