A Breath Of Early Spring

Spring is a season of contemplation, vigor, and renewed visual and mental intensity. A season that awakens our senses while opening our eyes to see the glorious palate of subtle hues of yellow, sky blue, and blush that surrounds us. Spring reminds us to live in the moment, to feel how precious life is, and that all the good things we feed our minds, hearts, and souls lie straight ahead. The awakening of Mother Nature calls out to us to look beyond our daily stresses and distractions and take a close look at the beauty of creation. To spend our days and nights in the present while creating friendships and memories that will last a lifetime. It’s a time for all of us to reconnect with the child within, and if possible, bring a child, an elderly person, or someone disabled to share your journey of connection. Put all negativity on hold if only for a brief moment, and bask in a day filled with blue skies, rain drops, or things picked up by a fleeting gust of wind driven by the pink air of the early morning.  

When I was a young boy growing up in Dolgeville, the arrival of Spring always filled my head with the wild anticipation of days filled with life’s simple and ordinary things. Things that mattered, things to honestly believe in; like God, puppy love, safe places to play with your brothers and sisters, your best friends, and walks around the village that seemed to last forever and a day. At the end of the day there was always another tomorrow that might just turn out to be a carbon copy of yesterday. Now that I am older, when I want to go back to those days, I just close my eyes, step into a time capsule and be whisked away to a time when life was everything it was supposed to be. Of course bad it wasn’t a perfect life, but there was always someone in your family or town that would help to overcome the bumps and bruises with a hug or a few words of encouragement.

Springtime in a small village was filled with beautiful homes, simple houses, gardens with white picket fences, all while trees and flowers began to bud with stern determination. Main street was filled with people shopping at the local stores giving you a smile, a wave, or wishing you a good morning as they passed by. The ponds, creeks, and the smells of home cooking would be a treat for your senses, and little can compare to the band concerts, ice cream socials, and other family gatherings in the village park. The moviehouse, pharmacy, and confectioner on the corner were always busy with people getting on with their daily business. The surrounding countryside with rolling hills, dairy cattle, farm horses, peaks, and valleys, along country roads dotted with pristine farms engaged us in an odiferous world of agricultural indoctrination. 

Springtime led the way for three more glorious seasons, but for me and millions of other people who grew up in small towns across America, we can say only one thing; you should have been there. But its not too late because everything is still there, not exatly as it was then, but its still worth the Sunday drive. The only thing you won’t find is the “mesmorizing nostalgia”. It was a time gone by, but never forgotten by those of us lucky enough to live at a time of ice boxes, wood-burning stoves, a one-room schoolhouse, the sweet innocence of childhood, and so much more.  

Before the Summer rain, suddenly, from all the green and glory that abound, something, you don’t know what has disappeared. May your brief encounter with Spring linger on for all of the days of your life. 

Blessings dear friends,