on earth, as it is in heaven

on earth, as it is in heaven
Originally uploaded by rod lewis

In most years, in most places, the calendar announces spring quite some time before nature does. Or, at least, the movement in that direction is so nuanced that one doesn’t notice until some progress is made. Let’s face it, if it has been ten degrees, fifteen isn’t all that noticeably warmer. When trees are bare and sleeping, one doesn’t necessarily notice when the circulation begins beneath the bark.
But rest assured, the mercury does begin to rise, as does the sap, and eventually the buds will form, and blossoms will emerge, and the whole earth will give birth.
At any given time in the process, folks at various locations will find themselves at different stages of labor. When I was in Mississippi this past weekend, the Gulf Coast was fully effaced with contractions less than a minute apart. Back home, as the week begins, we’re experiencing 70%, with contractions at 5 minutes. Further north, folks haven’t even begun clocking the pangs.
But, at whatever stage of the process, excitement has begun to build. We’re pulling out photos of last year’s foliage like late-term ultrasounds, longing for a glimpse of what is to come. Last year’s documentation provides hope in the surety of the promise, and that the keeping of the promise is imminent.
Even at this late stage, one has to look closely to find the signs. All around, the world is still monochromatic, but if you look closely there are hidden splashes of color - premature bushes, discontent to wait full term. Impatient midwives like myself, snap photos of these intermittent splashes and piece together views of the future – an early picture of what we know will soon be – and we walk around in that surety, braving the chill, colorizing the sepia, whispering to the tight little buds, coaxing the blossoms.