It's the last day of August and the last day of winter (an arbitrary cut off, but there we are) - and it's a cold and grey day so a cheerful pink sweet-smelling hyacinth is very welcome. Spring is a marvellous time of unfolding growth and regeneration - despite our cold winds. And here we go again!
I am very grateful that the beauty of nature gives me such joy, and that it reminds me of the complexity and diversity of life, the power of the forces of growth and regeneration.
I feel sad and sick with dread when I see how often we humans deny our interconnectedness - with other people and with all living things. If we can't cooperate with nature and with each other I'm not hopeful about the kind of future we will have. But spring is a great reminder - no matter how cold and bleak the winter has been, a small change in the temperature and day length brings a resurgence of life and colour.
So the message I take from spring is - let's nurture the tender growth of human hope too!