Life Unfurling

I went for a walk yesterday morning in my neighborhood before the rain arrived. On my walk I was looking for tiny scenes of beauty, little scenes of

as nature’s spring unfolding speeds up. And I found life unfurling everywhere I looked. One time I accidentally hit the shutter release on my camera as I was moving and later discovered an (un)intentional camera movement photo that expresses how quickly the seasons turn.

Even with gray skies above and a moist feeling of impending rain in the air I found beauty all along the path I walked. New leaves were emerging, ferns unfurling, trees reaching for the sky, and some trees blooming.

The greens I saw varied from the bright spring greens I expect this time of year to deeper darker greens. And some leaves were unfolding with a red tint that I believe will soon be covered with green.

This is life unfolding as it always does in springtime. Spring will soon be followed by summer, autumn, and finally winter. It happens every year. But still, each spring feels like a new miracle unfolding. Thinking about and experiencing the cycles and seasons of life makes me want to make sure that I notice the grace and beauty of this life I live, every moment, every day, every season.

Impressionist treatment on a photo of the pond that is located across the street and down the hill from our house

Our backyard has some bare spots where the grass died during the drought last year. Saturday, I bought some pollinator friendly grass seed (it also has clover and other small blooming plant seeds). Then I raked over the bare spots to loosen the soil and spread the seed in those areas. With the rain yesterday and the predicted rainy days this week I’m hoping that Mother Nature helps the seed sprout and grow to fill the bare spots. Though I might prefer to have less lawn and a more environmentally friendly yard, I don’t feel able to care for such a yard. So the least I can do is grow some clover for the bees.

Memories of Beauty

Looking out the windows right now the greens are so vivid and bright that I wish I could store up the beauty for other seasons. All I can do is soak it in and appreciate it now, in the present moment. Each new day is a gift and every season is the right season when I stay present and awake.

Be still, my soul, and steadfast.
Earth and heaven both are still watching
though time is draining from the clock
and your walk, that was confident and quick,
has become slow.

So, be slow if you must, but let
the heart still play its true part.
Love still as once you loved, deeply
and without patience. Let God and the world
know you are grateful. That the gift has been given.

— Mary Oliver

Every day I practice noticing the seasons of life, getting used to the idea of the turning seasons of my life, watching the natural cycle of birth, life, and death in nature. Meanwhile life goes on, the seasons turn, and beauty emerges. I give thanks for this life filled with life unfurling each day.

May you walk in beauty.