RENEWAL AND REBIRTH

Look at that!  Our forsythias are in bloom!  In March! What a joy this past week has been.  I believe I might have been suffering from that sun deprivation syndrome, because suddenly with the emergence of the warm weather I feel energized.  It's like that scene in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy steps over the threshold from a somber black and white world to a technicolor  fantasy land. How wonderful it is to open the windows and let the breeze blow away all the staleness.  What a joy it is to run errands without the burden of heavy coats and boots. Kind of a metaphor for life isn't it?

This past week,I've read blogs about women with empty nest syndrome,others worried about the health of loved ones or their own health, others fearful about the economy and what it means to their own stability.  My dear friends, I want to assure you that just as those old gray twigs bring forth lovely bright spring flowers, so is our Lord working miracles in your life.  But just as sometimes the plants need the help of a gardener to prune away  the dead branches, we sometimes need to prune away the dead  branches of our lives; the self-doubts, the should ofs, the what ifs, the guilt, and  the worry.  Don't let them take over and ruin the beautiful bush that is your spirit.

"Well", your probably saying," easier said than done!"  One thing that I've found that helps is to be a little selfish (just a little).  I know that bucks conventional wisdom, but I truly believe even the best Christian, wife and mother needs a little time to themselves just to connect to their self and renew their spirits.  So each day, I set aside a half hour to do something just for myself.  Whether  it's reading something just for entertainment that doesn't serve the purpose  of educating, or proving to someone that I'm an intellectual.  Just something purely entertaining.  For me that's childhood favorites like Anne of Green Gables or the Betsy-Tacy books.  BTW, I must confess that I've become quite impatient with this snobbery that  only certain books (such as Glenn Beck and Oprah's book lists and PBS)  are deemed worthwhile.  Read and watch what you want  and hang those that think you are shallow or silly if it isn't  "serious". Or doing a craft for the love of it.  Not for a gift or for charity, or as often in my case, to be sociable, just for the enjoyment.   Or how about watching your favorite childhood sitcom on Youtube.  Swing in a hammock and daydream. Go outside and do some cartwheels.  It doesn't matter what it is, just as long as it makes you happy.  Just for a little while tuck away all the thoughts about what a mature person should be doing, stow away the worries and just be a child again. Just for one half hour a day unpack your burdens and feel the joy, just like shucking that heavy winter coat after a long winter!