The spring days of my teen age years often found me in nature enjoying the sunshine after a long Missouri winter. I loved to grab a blanket and follow the tractor trails to the back of the farm, in the bottom, where there was a large patch of Virginia bluebells. I would lie down and watch the carefree clouds go by. It was as if nature had recovered from the cold biting winds and snow just in time to show me that the hard times never last. Nature goes on just like nothing ever happened - like they've been there the whole time, just simply resting.
Winters were hard for our family. In those days we fought the snow from November to March. We heated with wood so we had to go out to cut and gather it. And we were always cold with never enough clothes to keep us warm. Winters were long and miserable.
My abusive father was a house painter so he was home more during the winter so money was tight. And there was no place to escape his sudden and unexpected rages.
Summers found my siblings and I in the woods or roaming the fields creating fun places and letting our imagination take us far away. We would go inside to do our chores and eat. But the rest of the days were spent pond swimming or berry picking or fort building. But as summer eased into fall I began the dread of the coming months.
Then spring! The very minute I could get outside I was there, I lived for spring.
Beside the west field there was a humongous oak tree that was hundreds of years old. I had a special place below its strong and mighty branches. I sat there feeling protected and sheltered. I named it Solomon because in my imagination this tree had the wisdom of many years. There I talked to God. I told Him everything that my young heart held. In the quiet, away from the constant chaos of my home life I was loved, held, comforted and restored.
As an adult, my children would often suggest time with nature for their frazzled mother. They knew it would uplift me and it always did.
I believe God has given us all the glories of nature to help us deal with the things that hurt in this world we live in. I never tire of studying and learning and just letting my eyes feast on the beauty.
It's spring, time to get out into the sunshine and watch the transformation. Our bodies need more movement, our minds need clearing, our hearts need new perspective. Nature provides for us in so many ways.
Even in winter. I suppose, maybe.
Yorumlar