Longing for Spring

I have several friends who long for Spring, starting as early as the Feast of St. Scholastica on February 10^th.  Why?  Because the scripture reading for that feast sings one of its most beautiful verses:  “Come, my love, my dove, my beautiful one!  Winter is o’er; the rains are over and gone.  The flowers appear on the earth…the song of the dove is heard in our land. …O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff, let me see you, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and you are lovely (2:10+)."

Almost as alluring was an e-mail I received entitled “A Touch of Spring” with the subtitle:  “We’re all ready for a bit of Spring.”  I was so delighted.  It was an interactive piece, so using the mouse, I could click as often and wherever I wanted to on a completely black screen.  I went a bit wild!  All those flowers that I could present to the dark background in a matter of seconds!  And at the click of a mouse!  I felt as if I were a veritable flower garden: fresh spring green leaves, sky blue flowers, yellow daisies, bubble-like and graceful fronds, orange, purple, and peach, some double-petalled, others bending over gracefully.  There were large flowers, the size of a quarter and tiny ones, the size of an ear ring.  Sometimes, there were different kinds of flowers rising out of the same root or stem.  One was in the form of a cross; all the rest shouted out: “Our life is new!  Resurrection.  Come alive.”

There were even fire-cracker blossoms.  If I stayed at the same spot on the screen and clicked a number of times, I marveled at the wonderful overlapping of colors, textures and designs.  Everything seemed to fit; everything was lightsome. A touch of spring?  Yes and more.  For me it was a reminder of how God must delight in what He had created.  It’s no surprise that God would, of course, find his creation good, very good, indeed!  And now again: “all those flowers appearing on our land!”  How good it is!  Spring is here!

Renee Domeier, OSB