....shameless.....

 

"Spring....when God tarts it up a bit...." ~ Anne Lamott

...shameless..... we are once again having a "typical" spring here in southwestern PA and the Divine is on a "tart tear" with so many blooms and buds, colors and greenings .....it is shocking and it is glorious!

As a kid, about once a quarter and more so during summer, my father would set-up the screen,  get the slide projector, invite family and conduct a slide show. It was nice to gather together, mum would have a tray of cookies (always a bonus) and some seasonally appropriate beverage and always coffee. Being a self-absorbed youngster, I wanted the photos of family, of people....yes, of me!  I endured the many slides of trees and rocks and rivers and flowers and more flowers and yes, hey, there's another photo of a flower.....

As one matures and realizes one is not the sun to everyone else's universe, appreciation grew for the photos of nature in all her glory. In the age of reflection and re-membering, I am blessed to have been raised in a home by parents who respected and celebrated the WOWs of the created world.   The month of May was when we'd make trips to the local greenhouses for mum to purchase flowers that would be planted around the house, hung on the porch hooks and placed in the good sun places and windows inside the home. Always the nurturer, mum tended these plants and flowers year round, maintaining nature's beauty as a daily practice. 

Meanwhile, dad was outside prepping the ground for the garden and going to "Westermans" to buy plants and seeds in readiness for planting. My father's gardens were precise, perfectly placed and balanced; they were a geometric dream of lines and produce. 

An important spiritual practice is to notice, to do so one needs to slow down and set the intention to sense the beauty of spring ---- the sights, the smells, the touches, the sounds, the tastes. 

What a gift is this season of renewal and possibilities ---- make the most of it, point out the gifts to another and be WOWed together!  Get a notebook and every day write down your WOWs and the Beauty you evidenced.