The twelve months leading up to this spring were a roller coaster of events and emotions. We were in San Francisco in early March 2020. I remember sitting in our rental apartment, watching a local newscast. The commentator displayed a graphic showing the number of people diagnosed with Coronavirus that week.
By the time we boarded the California Zephyr to head home, COVID-19 dominated every newscast and every conversation. We ate lunch with college students heading home, uncertain of when they would be able to return to their campuses. Union Station in Chicago was a ghost town – on a Saturday afternoon.
This was a portent of things to come… stay-at-home orders, business closures, empty shelves. A hard year ended with a hard winter, complete with record-breaking low temperatures and a late hard freeze. We breathed a collective sigh of relief when the calendar rolled to May and spring finally appeared on the horizon. I looked forward to walks in the yard to see the ever-changing landscape of wildflowers while waiting on their more domesticated cousins. On one of those walks, I found that my unpredictable tulips had actually produced two blooms. The irises in the backyard are always later than the rest of the community, so I didn’t give much thought to the delay in their blooms.
The flowers in the front yard were a different story. I watched my Stargazer lily sprout and grow, tall and green, with not one hint of blossom. The same held true for the Moonflowers and the Rose of Sharon bush. Green leaves, with nary a bud in sight. I was even more perplexed when I saw the Facebook posts of area friends sharing the beauty of their blooming flowers.
May turned into June and, finally, a purple bloom appeared on the Moonflowers. I watched the lily and Rose of Sharon until I began to think watched plants are like watched pots. Just as I concluded the late freeze had snatched away any chance of blooms for the year, I awoke one morning to find buds forming on the lily. A few days later, I spotted a bud on the Rose of Sharon. Well after others had posted their blooms, I was finally able to capture pictures of my own. The Stargazer blossoms on the lily were gorgeous but short-lived. Thanks to heavy summer rains, they only lasted about two weeks.
The Rose of Sharon is still blooming, along with the Cannas that are new to our yard this year. The wildflowers come and go throughout the summer, each walk around the yard unveiling sights previously unseen. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds stop frequently to feed from the blooms.
The Good Book tells us that everything has a season. Matthew and Luke captured the Lord’s gentle reminder to consider how the lilies grow. They neither toil nor spin, yet they are beautifully adorned by their Creator.
Like the past winter, some seasons in life are longer and harder than others. Just as we think we should be seeing signs of relief, more difficult days come. Green leaves, buds, and blossoms are God’s way of reminding us that He still cares and this too shall pass… in His time.
Copyright 2021 lifeatroomtemperature.com Sherry A Hathaway. All rights reserved.