Years ago, in the dead of winter, we moved to Tucker, GA. It snowed that night. The house we bought had been owned by a family whose tastes were somewhat earthy. Over the next year various plants and blossoms emerged all over the yard. It was rather exciting discovering Camellias, Buttercups, Azaleas, and whatever, appearing hither and yon. In the early spring there emerged one I didn’t recognize. I learned later it was a Crocus; tiny, delicate, with exquisite, pretty, petals. I remember a poet, in the erstwhile Saturday Review of Literature, mentioned the Crocus; a harbinger of spring. It intrigued me, but not enough to provoke further research.
After discovering our Crocus, I began anticipating its emergence early each spring, virtually proclaiming the end of winter’s chill. You may have already seen a Crocus this year, poking its little green shoot up through mulch or ground cover. Of course Daffodils, Buttercups, and other blossoms join in the splendid spring display of color. But that tiny delicate blossom emerged from one of the coldest winters of my life. It looked so brave, beautiful, unfazed. It was magical. What a miracle! Merriam-Webster defines a miracle; an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs. Yep. That defines it for me.
No, I did not bolt into a blast of Botany. I simply held that memory and cherished it. Maybe one day, where I live now, I will plant a Crocus–maybe more in our flower bed. More importantly, I want to plant a beauty spot for you, dear reader. This COVID-19 Pandemic can, and in some cases does, bring cold hard realities; some seem too great to surmount. I must confess; I too, have sometimes felt overladen by cold, dank, dark realities in a Winter of Dismay.
But there is hope; “Hope,” Alexander Pope wrote, “springs eternal in the human breast.” More pointedly, the Psalmist calls us to lift up our eyes, to see the glory of God:
Mighty gates: lift up your heads!
Ancient doors: rise up high!
So the glorious king can enter! (Psalm 24)
Also the Prophet Isaiah inspires hope in us! Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He doesn’t grow tired or weary. His understanding is beyond human reach, giving power to the tired and reviving the exhausted. Youths will become tired and weary, young men will certainly stumble; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired; they will walk and not be weary
And there you have it, Dear Reader! The Crocus, and all its attendant cheerful splendor: a reminder of spring, of hope. No matter how harsh the cold of life’s winter, therein lies the bud to blossom into new birth. New hope. New strength.
The scripture from Isaiah is one of my favorite scriptures for when I am discouraged.
You bring joy to overcast days with your words. I’m beginning to see signs of Spring around my yard and tiny buds on my blueberry bushes. I wait in anticipation of the fruit to come! Thank you Willis for sharing.