Editor’s note: When you think of spring – what comes to mind? Hope? The return of blooms? The color green? Refresh and renewal? In this latest writers’ series by members of the WhipCity Wordsmiths, members share their thoughts about the spring season upon us. Today’s submission is by Iris Alderson.
WESTFIELD-Iris Alderson is an inspirational writer with more than 150 articles published in numerous magazines, including Positive Thinking, Moments with God, and the Upper Room.
She is a member of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Westfield.
Her submission is titled “Spring – New Life – Time of Discovery.”
Spring – New Life—Time of Discovery
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Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant
yielding seed that is on the surface of all the
earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed.
Genesis 1:29
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In a February issue of the Parade magazine, Bette Midler said while living in New York City amidst steel, glass and brick, she hadn’t much noticed the seasons. She said it wasn’t until living in her country home during lockdown that she first noticed the seasons, referring to them as her “late-in-life discovery of every leaf, shrub, and flower.”
I can’t imagine going through life, without experiencing the beauty of each season and the joyful discoveries each one brings.
Several years ago I had a similar experience of discovery. It began one spring after visiting a local garden center and purchasing a dozen packets of seeds.
Iris Alderson is readying her seedlings for spring planting. (MARK M. MURRAY PHOTO)
At home that evening I carefully planted those seeds in separate trays, and left them on the kitchen counter to germinate. I slipped the empty seed packets beneath each tray so I would know what each seed tray contained.
But that night, an elusive “nobody,” tidied the kitchen and removed every carefully placed seed packet from beneath the seed trays, leaving them in a nice neat pile on top of the microwave.
Those seed packets contained instructions on how and where to plant for the best results. I was new to gardening and had no way of knowing which ones were vegetables, and which ones were flowers?
Where would I plant them?
In the sun or in the shade?
I knew some needed to be planted just below the surface, while others need to go deeper in order to survive. And then there were those that would not do well if they were planted too close. They needed space and room in which to thrive and to grow.
And then there were perennials that bloom season after season with very little care. Some will bend and sway in the gentle summer breeze, while others, seemingly much stronger than the rest, are deceiving, because without proper support, they will droop or break, instead of growing tall and strong as our creator intended.
Needless to say, that wasn’t one of our better growing seasons. We were the only home in the neighborhood with tomatoes and bean stalks sprouting up amongst the flower beds that edged the front lawn.
Now, once again it’s spring, a new season, and new life. I hold a variety of tiny seeds in the palm of my hand; precious seeds of life, with so much wonder and mystery hidden deep within.
While I may not know what each seed will bring when it springs to life, I do know, no matter what great things we may accomplish, or how far God will allow us to go in science, medicine and exploring the universe, we will never come close to creating anything as glorious as this.
