The Joys of Spring

It is a cold, crisp, clear morning, and the sun is shining in a pale blue sky. I have just been for a walk down to our village post office to post a parcel. All around me were signs of new life and renewal - leaf buds in the hedges, a couple of dogs in the pocket park racing around madly just for the joy of it, and smiles on the faces of the people I met. The air was alive with birdsong.

On days like these, I rejoice to be living in this world, and feel such gratitude and wonder for the beauty of it all. A meditative prayer by the Unitarian Universalist minister Terasa Cooley sums up how I feel beautifully:

"In this time of anticipated Spring, let us allow ourselves to extend the anticipation - to value the time of budding before blooming, of seeding before sprouting.

This is a time of revelation: the revealing of that which is eternal, which we see every year, but still need to be reminded to see it in a new way.

There is also the revelation of that which is new. Every Spring we encounter something never before seen. It is that very newness which embodies hope and potential for the wholeness which is yet to be.

Let us allow Spring to unfold slowly that we may appreciate the true mystery of rebirth and renewal.
Amen"