Is It Spring?
With signs of springtime everywhere, it’s still hard for my body to belief it’s really here. We had snow on Saturday, temperatures below 40 degrees as I headed back to the office for the first time since March 16th, and I am beyond eager to wear open-toed shoes outside…comfortably.
But, there have been some lovely days, and the buds and blossoms are definitely showing. One of our most beautiful, “show-off” trees anchors the courtyard. You can see that even Scholastica can’t stop staring…
And here are the blossoms closer up…
But, one of my personal favorites is this smaller tree. Not sure the variety, but when she buds, she’s gorgeous…
And, then these little delights…the violets in the inner courtyard. I happened to open a Mary Oliver book, Blue Iris, and found this poem…
Spring
Violets have many leaves, each one so earnestly
thought of anything else to do. But they have: they make
blossoms, which rise yellow or violet, in multitudes, the
violet ones with violet-colored spurs. They like
dampness, they like hillsides and are comfortable also
in the shady woods. They like to be alone, or congregated
together in the grass, looking up as you pass by, saying
Hello. Hello. And what else do you imagine
unseemly. So all their time is used up in happiness—
in becoming the best they can be
for the greater glory of _____.
In fact, they know it’s okay to rest for the rest of
your life just saying: Thank you. Oh cast of thousands,
as are the stars of heaven, Thank you.