Finding Hope in Spring

Gifford Volunteer Chaplain Kathy Rohloff shares her personal reflections in this blog post. Kathy and all of our volunteer chaplains offer a nonsectarian presence. If you need someone to listen, and hear you with compassion, you can reach them by calling the Rev. Tim Eberhardt at 802-728-2107.

By Kathy Rohloff

As March exits and April arrives, we find ourselves worn out by the ever-changing moods of early spring. It seems that whatever we wear when we venture outside is wrong.

If we opt for a spring jacket, the wind picks up, and we need a hat and gloves. Decide on a winter coat, and we long for a simple hoodie.

The wind is fickle, refreshing or frigid, and in a moment it may add rain or sleet or snow.

It can be an exasperating time, or we can view it as a window into hope.

We’ve spent the last few months navigating icy roads, shoveling walks and drives, scraping windshields, and stoking stoves. It has been a season that causes us to hibernate and binge Netflix, consume comfort foods, and search for that missing puzzle piece. And over time, we are longing for a change.

Today, though, that time is ending; we are entering into a time of feasting on nature and the hope that is present everywhere.

Any gardener who has planted tulip or daffodil bulbs in the fall knows that the best is yet to come.  Those bulbs that have been buried and asleep are being awakened by all the crazy weather that is happening.

The random and often incessant rains result in puddles, flooding, and mud, which can be inconvenient in our lives. But all of that water is cleansing the air, filling the water table, and softening the earth.  It is preparing the soil for all those bulbs to push through.  The end result  gladdens our souls.

The chaotic wind, which can vary in ferocity and temperature, encourages the stems of plants to grow stronger.  While they strengthen, it is also orchestrating the placement of future pine and oak trees through pollination. Dandelions and milkweed are finding new homes. Little did we think that the wind was in the business of decorating our front yards!

Nature proves that the very unpredictability of life has a purpose; beauty can be enhanced by trials.

Don’t forget to enjoy the bird song that greets us every morning; it will be less noticeable as summer arrives due to the abundance of foliage and because it becomes background noise.

The animals are on the move and come in all sizes and shapes.  Living close to the village has resulted in viewing voles, chipmunks, squirrels, otters, opossums, deer, fox, and bear.

The woods are full of fiddleheads and ramps to harvest; the chives are getting green.

Interact with this season.

Rake, plant, weed.

Walk, hike, ramble.

Sit, breathe, take it in.

Emily Dickinson said it best,  “Hope” is the thing with feathers, That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the word, And never stops at all.”

Don’t miss this time of hope. Take it for what it is, a gift.