"For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." Song of Solomon 2:11-12.
What a wonderful day to be in the country! I had taken up my husband's invitation to go watch him paint the fence on our son's farm. After a few "you missed a spot" comments, the bright blue sky, the floating white clouds and the fresh breeze pulled me away for a stroll down toward the stream. Gazing down into the ravine at the ledge of rocks, the green of cedar and the sculptured, yet bare trees, I went back for my camera phone.
How exhilarating! My quest for picturesque photo ops led me further until I was on a virtual hike! The dried reeds I pushed aside didn't bother me as I traipsed through the thatch of matted grass down the valley and up the slope, past weathered sheds and out-buildings perched above shelves of rock. The lake rested just out of sight above the levee, and I just had to see it!
It was a little steep, but there were a couple of worn trails curving up to the top, courtesy of thirsty cows, and I was glad I negotiated one of them when I saw the beautiful expanse of water mirroring the blue of the sky. The lake lay calm and serene, minus the ducks and geese that had glided its surface only a few weeks before. I looked for the resident blue heron, a huge bird whose flutters startle when its grey shadow erupts from nowhere into flight.
The beautiful weather made me forget about yesterday's cold, grey rain. Now the land was only refreshed and renewed by it. At home, I saw my first robin the other morning, perched beside a yellow, lily-like shoot blooming solitary in the grass. From my kitchen window, I see that the buds on the flowering quince are pink and fat, some unfurling fragile petals. They will soon become a cloud of color for my viewing pleasure, as I stand at the sink at my tasks.
Just as we tire of winter and dismal days, our outlook can be clouded by the grey rain of bad news and world conditions. Just as we long for and welcome our earthly Spring, we long for and expectantly wait for the words from our Lord, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away," Solomon 2:10.
"Behold, he standeth behind our wall, He looketh forth at the windows, Shewing himself through the lattice." Solomon 2:9.
What a beautiful picture!
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