People Of The Flint

Winter is reluctantly giving up its chilly grip on the Mohawk Valley, and as the snow melts and the temperatures rise, our thoughts turn to spring. 

The people of the Mohawk Valley Region live in the ancestral homeland of the Native American Iroquois and today still share and celebrate its distinguished history. It is a fascinating mosaic of historic, natural, and cultural treasures offering endless leisure, learning, and family recreation for its residents and nearby neighbors. The Mohawk River corridor is the easiest, most direct route between the Atlantic Seaboard and heartland America. This key geographic passage was hotly contested territory and a huge factor in shaping the history of our American nation from its earliest times.

Looking ahead to Spring, we think of being outside more, gardening, and getting out and about in the Mohawk Valley, particularly in the small village of Mohawk where George Washington was known to stop to have lunch at the Shoemaker Tavern on his way to and from Fort Stanwix in Rome. The snow has already melted, the ground has softened, and yet there are snow flurries across the valley today.

Yes, indeed, this is still March, and winter weather may still have a surprise or two in store for us, but it’s still nice to walk outdoors each day and watch the small, subtle changes up close that show us that spring will soon be in full swing.

Spring is a miraculous experience when the whole world comes alive after the winter in which it appeared that everything was dead. The world is filled with color, and the scent of delicious greenery has come alive again. Beneath the cold, hard ground, the plants and trees prepared for rebirth give us hope for rejuvenation in our lives. It is a time to renew the excitement and zest for life that lives inside of our weary heads. 

When April arrives, a vivid and enchanting picture captures the essence of spring’s arrival with “softly shining eyes” and daffodils adorning backyards and countrysides symbolizing the renewal and beauty of the season. April is a transformative time, as clouds dissipate and the skies clear as we celebrate the awakening of nature, with swallows swaying through the air and the joyful melodies of robins and bobolinks; a rejuvenating force that breathes new life into the world, causing it to momentarily forget its weariness and age. Soon, it becomes a distant memory, with its bitter winds and frost belonging to the past, with the anticipation and joy signaling the arrival of Godliness and the rebirth of nature.

          When April comes, the world so wise and old,
           Will half forget that it is worn and grey;
           Winter will seem but as a tale long told —
           Its bitter winds with all its frost and cold
           Will be the by-gone things of yesterday,
           When April comes!

May joy and abundant love rest their wings over the hills, villages, and people of the peaceful valley of the Mohawks.

Blessings my dear friends,