This
is the season when the ground swells with new life, trees burst forth
with magnificent blossoms and the earth seems to come alive once more. I
am struck by this dichotomy more acutely than usual this year: As I
breathe in the sweet fragrances of April, I am also preparing for a
journey to Arizona to help my mother prepare for the burial of my
stepfather. The yin and yang of life -- birth and death, always
teetering in some sort of cosmic balance.
I often wonder; would
the spring be less exciting and glorious if we never had winter? Do we
somehow need the reminder of life's fragility and impermanence to
treasure the innate beauty of the present moment?
And so, as the musing
continues, I am filled with gratitude for the wake-up call I receive
each spring when I am renewed with awe and wonder.