Renewed Hope of Spring in Desert Seasons
How do you welcome spring? What speaks of new life to you in the change of seasons? Do you go searching for wildflowers? Four-leaf clovers? Do you remember crocuses pushing through the snow from your other home in the Midwest? Will you serve fresh-squeezed lemonade on March 20, the first official day of spring?
When I was a girl growing up in Minnesota, springtime came with the arrival of pussy willows and the siting of the first robin. I remember cutting pussy willow sprigs with my mom and placing them in a vase by the kitchen window to finish their opening. When I lived in northern Manitoba as a newlywed, Canada geese heralded the coming as flocks searched for nesting grounds on the sometimes still-frozen lakes.
Now, as a desert dweller for over three decades, spring means the blooming of golden poppies carpeting sparse landscapes. I anticipate their four-petaled beauty every year. Unfortunately, the park rangers are already warning wildflower lovers to expect a sparse year.
"If any flowers appear, we will post on the ranger cam. Check there," the ranger said when I called for a wildflower report at a state park.
If. A cautious word, lacking in commitment. A word spoken so hopes are not raised. A phrase to keep expectations in check. A word we have all heard way too many times in the past twelve months as we have canceled events, practiced social distancing, and wondered when we could hope again. If.
Arizona wildflowers are temperamental, needing adequate summer and winter rains. This past summer was a bully of a year, blowing the hot breath of 2020 in a hunkering-down pandemic. Even the flowers remain quarantined underground.
None-the-less, my husband Kevin and I will go out several times in the month of March, searching for the splash of red chuparosa, the slender blue dicks, the yellow brittlebush, and the purple scorpionweed, all the while seeking the beautiful poppies. Once located, we will position our cameras to capture the best angle of the blooming.
Don't we all need evidence of arrivals? Of new beginnings? Of hope? I know I do.
Romans 15:13 ESV says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Abounding hope. Filled-to-the-top joy. Lingering peace. Even in a sparse wildflower season, may your heart hold on. And believe.
This post recently appeared in SanTan Sun News.
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