The Promise of Brighter Days

 

The sun was shining, the winds had finally died down and neighbors emerged from their homes to walk their dogs and stroll with their children once again. The sidewalks were busy and the yards were full; it seemed as though life was starting again.

During the nights of hard freeze, many people covered plants and flowers to protect them from damage. The normally beautiful landscaping and flower beds of the neighborhood were, temporarily, transformed into a collection of tarps and plastic sheeting. Not attractive, but purposeful.

At this house, the plastic had been pulled away so that the flowers beneath could embrace the warmth of the sun for a few hours. In contrast to the dormant lawn, the brilliant colors of the pansies literally glowed in the last rays of the setting sun. It was suddenly hard to believe that the previous days had been so harsh and cold. For a moment I couldn’t recall the howling winds and freezing temperatures. It was as if the homeowner had not only uncovered their flower bed; it was as if they had unveiled Spring itself.

Sometimes a small thing can change the experience of a day in our life. Hearing from an old friend. A smile. A kind word. A bit of calm and silence. A song. A prayer. A simple touch. A sunset. The full moon. In the course of a day, brief moments like these can unveil a bit of Spring in our life. Brief moments like these can help us, if but for a moment, forget the harshness of our day. Brief moments like these can remind us that there will once again be more to our lives than the current harsh days of winter.

All the more reason to be good to one another. Or, as the scriptures put it, “be kind to one another”. A simple instruction that can have such an impact on us all. What if we went through each day with an eye toward opportunities to “be kind”? To whom might we unveil a little Spring? What a gift it would be to help someone forget the harshness of their situation for a moment and feel the warmth of the sun on their face. I have the feeling that when we are kind to all, we experience the same effect in our own life. We, too, feel the promise of brighter days.

Peace.