Spring’s reminders

Here in the northland, where I live, trees are just starting to bud, early flowers are opening, and birds of all kinds are returning.  Spring, and its metaphor of renewal, hope and possibility, is everywhere in my world — in the world outside my window, and in other worlds as well.

After many years of neglect, my garden is getting some of my attention again.  Working the soil, pulling up weeds and overgrown plants this past weekend, I noticed how I can easily I can create a new vision of beauty, despite absence of much recent consistent tending.  It's as if the garden has waited patiently for my return, and I feel welcomed by it again. 

I've also recently been putting more focus on tending my garden of friends (those beauties!) also somewhat neglected during the past few years tending young children, a career change, accompanying a dying parent.  Here also I have found much forgiveness, tenderness and response in these relationships with just a bit more tending on my part.

Even with myself, with my tendencies to sometimes put everyone and everything else first, I am finding that I am responding well to a new degree of attention, tending, and watering.  After much tilling of my own soil, seed planting, some tectonic plate movement, my body and spirit welcome the renewal of my care.

One of the lessons of 2008 for me was "Begin Again".  When we've strayed from the path, perhaps woken up in some ditch, we can start over.  It can be as simple as that.

Spring is the ultimate reminder of this — to begin again.   Everything that was old, dead, drab, will begin again — anew, fresh, renewed, growing.

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Where would the concept of "begin again" serve you in your life?

What is yearning for your attention?

How are you beginning anew today?