Finding hope amidst the shifting seasons

An unexpected glimpse of beauty and the wisdom of nature

I am a gardener. I go to the garden to calm my soul, connect, ground, weed, and wonder at the amazing marvel that is our natural world. For me, there is no better place to be than in touch, quite literally, with this beautiful earth – be it woods or meadows, forest or stream, spring-fed pond or mighty ocean. 

One might easily assume, therefore, that being so dedicated to my own little patch of soil, I would have a true green thumb, if not two. Ha! The fact is, I truly don’t! What grows in my garden grows by grace. While my hands and heart are devoted to working in the dirt and planting numerous trees, shrubs, and flowering plants during the nine years that I have lived in this home, what has managed to survive has just as much to do with luck as with knowledge or good intentions. And however humble my garden might be, there abides a simple beauty and relaxed charm. 

Or shall I say that was true until just weeks ago, when this part of Florida experienced 3 consecutive nights of freezing temperatures. In preparation, just as I had done in the past, I covered vulnerable plants and prayed they would be protected.  But few were spared, including those that I thought were safely nestled on my porch. Nearly half of all the plants and even trees that were once covered with supple, green leaves now bristle in the breeze with brittle brown leaves hanging limp and lifeless on sagging limbs and branches. 

My immediate inclination was to cut back or remove every dead thing from my yard as quickly as possible. I did not want to see the destruction of what had taken me years to establish. But after researching the topic, the consensus among experts was to wait before doing anything. Why, I questioned? Because the very innate wisdom of life would come into play. It seems the withered leaves that remained would help protect the vulnerable plants in case another freeze occurred. Maybe, just maybe, if left on its own, new growth would spring forth once more from what appeared to be hopelessly lost.   

To my amazement, what occurred next was quite miraculous. Yes, I did start to see a few tiny leaves poking through with evident determination, which certainly brought me sweet delight. But truly, the time spent waiting and wondering what would and wouldn’t live proved to be profound in a most unexpected way. My perspective subtly began to change. And in a short amount of time, I no longer saw pathetic plants clinging desperately to life. But began to witness instead real beauty in the varying shades of brown, and was also able to more closely observe the fascinating interconnectedness of the leaves with their bare branches and the branches with the unadorned tree. I even watched in rapt wonder as a pair of hawks flew back and forth, feathering a nest high in a tree that only a few days earlier would have been fully obscured by an abundance of foliage. And in witnessing all of this, I started to more fully honor and appreciate this vital phase in the cycle of life. 

At times when we are discouraged or disheartened, it is important, essential even, that we strive to find that which brings us a restorative moment of hope, a sense of beauty, or perhaps even both. Life always offers us a chance to have a healthier perspective — to witness evidence of kindness and goodness, even amidst the difficulties. Recently, I was deeply moved by the Buddhist’s Walk for Peace – perhaps you were too. So quiet and gentle in their ways, and yet so profoundly impactful. And I am currently reading a most extraordinary and heartwarming of books – Theo of Golden, which I most sincerely recommend. When we are willing to look, we can find always evidence of hope, and goodness, and in doing so, we are not only uplifting our own spirit, additionally, we are adding to the collective good on the planet. And that is a contribution of no small measure.   

For yourself and for others, I encourage you to seek beauty, find good, and experience hope every day.  

Sweet blessings to you and Happy Spring!