March 20, 2025
In the block behind my home, there is a small lawn filled with crocuses. A few weeks ago, when snow still had a tight grip on the landscape, those little green nibs began to peek their heads out through the white blanket.
Every year, late in winter, I see this miracle happening in the most unexpected places. And every year, I still doubt that those fragile dots of life will survive and grow through winter’s apparent death. Every year, my doubts prove unfounded. Every year, those delicate purple fields remind me of what it means to live.
Today is the first day of Spring — a great time to remind ourselves that what we are about in this world is always LIFE, never DEATH! Some things we face in life may seem like snowy, frozen fields. But, underneath, where the Spirit never tires, green new life inspires our attitude and choices.
To find that renewed vitality, I must do two brave things:
• Always choose LIFE for myself and others
• Trust that God will sustain me in my choices
Sometimes, we make mistakes about what renews our lives. Still, in our deep hearts, we know that real life cannot be lived in isolation and self-seeking. Choices for real life are always rooted in mutual peace, truth, integrity, generosity, and compassion.
As spring wakes before us, let’s listen carefully to that deep heart’s message.
Once we’ve made the choice for life, we must trust that despite “winter”, the green tender shoots will prevail. They always do! History should confirm our faith! Winter always ends, and it is always worth the choice to live beyond it!
When I see the first spring flowers, I think of a friend’s favorite advice for a happy life:
• Wake up!
• Show Up!
• Be there!
I think the crocuses got the message!
Poetry: The Crocuses – Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911)
They heard the South wind sighing
A murmur of the rain;
And they knew that Earth was longing
To see them all again.While the snow-drops still were sleeping
Beneath the silent sod;
They felt their new life pulsing
Within the dark, cold clod.Not a daffodil nor daisy
Had dared to raise its head;
Not a fairhaired dandelion
Peeped timid from its bed;Though a tremor of the winter
Did shivering through them run;
Yet they lifted up their foreheads
To greet the vernal sun.And the sunbeams gave them welcome,
As did the morning air—
And scattered o’er their simple robes
Rich tints of beauty rare.Soon a host of lovely flowers
From vales and woodland burst;
But in all that fair procession
The crocuses were first.First to weave for Earth a chaplet
To crown her dear old head;
And to beautify the pathway
Where winter still did tread.And their loved and white-haired mother
Smiled sweetly ’neath the touch,
When she knew her faithful children
Were loving her so much
Music: The First of the Crocuses
For Your Reflection
- What feelings or reactions do I have after reading this reflection?
- Do my feelings or reactions remind me of any passage or event in scripture, especially in the life of Christ?
- What actions might I take today because of my response to these readings?
Lavish Mercy 