April's hopes

April is such a month of rebirth, of "new" everything, of promise. Spring, though officially beginning in March, takes full hold in April and the universe brings the earth back to life. Grass greens and grows, daffodils and tulips and hyacinths spear up from moist dirt into flower, limbs unfurl tiny bright green leaves that will, in summer's oven, turn nearly blue.

Easter is often in April -- such a symbol of hope and rebirth rising from death and despair. And Passover seders recall deliverance from bondage and slavery into freedom.

Already in my newly planted garden are the tiniest of leaves poking up from the dirt - no, I don't remember exactly what I put there, but think it's either radishes or onions. The other furrows are still bare -- but I water them and talk to them daily, and encourage them to grow in this bountiful sunshine.

Actually, the sunshine is a little more bountiful than is good for this part of the country. The meadows are already crispy in some places, the grass is not lush and thick but rather sparse in most places and a layer of brown sits on the sunnier areas already. It may be a long, hot, dangerous summer. (Tony's said that several times. I put my hands over my ears and sing "Lalalalalala..." I want more rain. Clouds.)

It feels new again: new possibilities, new opportunities, new thoughts, second chances. New beginnings. That is April's potential and her gift to the world, I think.

So it's up to each of us to decide what needs to go to make room for the new, what we can do in our own lives to renew ourselves professionally, physically, spiritually, mentally. What is out there waiting for us? April's freshness permits clarity of insight that is obscured by the dust and pollen and impending heat of May and June and July, and by then we might as well wait for winter's cold..

I can see potential unfolding, petal by petal. I love the fresh moist smell of growth, the tang of still-chilled air in the mornings. The full moon lights pathways through the softening night. I welcome the challenge of discovery and the invitation to renew. Isn't it such a gift that we get to do this every year!

I am grateful for insight and blessing and clear thought from the new beginnings and second chances and hope that April offers. May you be blessed as well.