Past Easter: New Growth--Carolyn R. Wilker

Easter Sunday is past yet we’re still in the Easter season in our church, a time we consider growth and renewal. It’s fitting that Easter occurs in springtime. At least that’s my take on it, though it may not match in other parts of the globe, with climate and different seasons.

I love watching the garden come to life, with leaves opening, buds on trees and then the early flowers appearing. First the crocuses and later the tulips and daffodils. Cheery yellow daffodils and pink tulips are among my favourites. After the white chill of winter, I’m ready for colour in my garden again. And ready for the season of gardening all over again.

This past week I took some new photos of my flowerbeds and posted several on my Facebook page. Friends say, “Already?” or “Is that this year already?” and I can reply, “Yes, it is.”

Mind you, there are weeds to contend with in spring, shrubs to be cut back and some clean-up to do, but it’s all part of the package of gardening. The lawn got its first haircut, and I’ve pulled some weeds from places. My husband gave the shrubs a seasonal trim; quite a trim, I might add. Lots of room for growth there.

After rooting out the plants that are overgrown or done and replacing them with new ones, I can sit back and enjoy the refreshed garden and watch it grow further. Perennials are the easiest to grow and tend, when the plant is matched to soil and conditions. They flourish in the right place, just as we do.

Making some changes for this year, I’ll dig out a few plants where ants have built a new hill. Those busy little insects have transplanted their home across the sidewalk after we rousted out the old one last year. We have sandy soil, and ants like sand. We may not rid the garden of ants entirely and that’s okay, as long as they don’t take over. My garden will never be perfect lines and precision, only pleasing to the eye and colourful. After all, it is nature which is sometimes a little wild around the edges, just like its caretaker.

I look forward to planting the vegetable garden later this month, hopefully with the help of our two oldest granddaughters who like to dig the holes and water. We’ll have a conversation about the plants we want to grow. They’ll come by to help plant the garden and then, from time to time, for a visit and help to tend the garden—mostly with the watering can. Then we wait and watch until it’s time to harvest whatever we’ve grown.

Think of Jesus’ resurrection and the opportunity of grace that we may start fresh each day in our Christian walk. Like spring and the promise of new growth, like the routing out of things that don’t serve our purpose anymore. Maybe not a brand new purpose, since we may have already believed and hoped in the risen Christ, but a renewal of sorts, like the earth giving forth new life.

www.carolynwilker.ca

photos by C. Wilker

Hide and Seek - Ruth Smith Meyer

Have you ever watched very young children play hide-and-seek? The younger ones are apt to hide in corners, their faces against a wall or piece of furniture, so they can't see anything, but the rest of their bodies, or their backs are exposed to anyone else. The hider can't see, so they assume the seeker can't see what isn't readily visible to themselves.

It has been my observation that as adults, we are much the same. Our short-comings, our character flaws or areas where we have some lack, we try to hide from ourselves by not looking at them--closing our eyes to what we don't want others to see.

Many years ago, I was part of a women's group that began to meet for fellowship and Bible study. We had grown up in the same small church and we were all friends. We decided to begin by telling each other our faith journey and a bit of what we struggled with in our inner selves. Each evening we had several women share until we all had our turn. In spite of our familiarity with each other, it was an eye-opening experience.

Each woman's story often contained bits that felt to herself, like deep dark secrets she had been hiding for a long time. Those revelations often were things that to the group were quite well-known parts of that person. It was like that little child, hiding her eyes when the rest of us could see the whole body, the hiding place exposed for all to see. The only new aspect was how the sharer felt about it--shame, dislike or despair, even agony--and a real desire to change.

As the grop continued, it was obvious that in sharing those hidden parts, release and healing began. Not only were we still loved and accepted by each other, those levels went way up because now we were all acknowledging the facts. Where, formerly, there may have been some disapproval and criticism of those character traits in each other, we now understood them to be part of the area in which that person desired growth and change. We rallied around each other to support each other's growth. Growth and change did happen! It was an exciting time that we still remember with great warmth.

That experience has been of great value to me ever since. When I meet people with aggravating personality traits, I far more readily see them as growth areas. Sometimes I picture them with their face in a corner, eyes tightly shut so as not to acknowledge what they don't want to see. It gives me patience and compassion. Deepening our friendship and trust level with people like that can often help them open their eyes and lose their fear of taking a look at the reality of their postition.

Sometimes I become aware of doing the same with one of my character flaws. I then am thankful for those who look past the irritation, gently pry me from my corner and encourage me to open my eyes.

Last night, I met with my writers' group. Only a few of us were able to make it, so although we did share our writing, we also took time to share a bit more personally. That group has helped me in my growth as a writer and as a person. Critique has become a valuable part of our coming together. At first, some were intimidated by having others make all those suggestions for change, but now the veterans welcome the input and look foward to the positive changes to our writing that the group can make through the process.

On the way home, I wondered how one could form a critique group for our lives. Yes, it could be painful at first, but would we begin to value it as much in our everyday lives as in our writing, if we could let others be honest and straightforward in what changes would benefit our lives? It may be a welcome and stable factor in our growth if we got used to its benefit.

In fact, probably if I open my inner ears as I receive critique in my writing, I may be able to make parallels to my attitudes, my carelessness, my first inclinations and reactions, even as I am receiving the critiques on my writing. Hmm-mm!

Author of Not Easily Broken, Not Far from the Tree and Tysons Sad Bad Day

http://www.ruthsmithmeyer.com/

Finding Joy in the Journey by Marcia Lee Laycock

The colour green has never seemed more beautiful.

Across from our house the freshness of new buds bursting delights the eyes. Perhaps it seems all the more wonderful because it has been a long time coming. We had a cool spring here this year. In fact, only three days ago we had big fluffy flakes piling up on our lawn. It was my birthday, and the first in my memory with snow. But even though the days of April and early May have been cool and the nights almost frosty, you could see the change happening in the trees and bushes all around us. I found myself delighting in it each day as the willows turned red and the grey poplars darkened, moving steadily toward maturity in spite of the weather. Though the days were grey, the sap was stirring. Now that the sun has finally arrived, the trees are bursting with new growth. Their time has arrived.

It makes me think of the long process toward maturity as a writer. The road can seem hard and the desired end result a long time coming. But like the trees around us, there is growth and progress even though the environment doesn’t seem to be cooperative. Rejections give us further resolve to work harder. Friends give us the encouragement that keeps us going when we are discouraged. And those wonderful moments of accomplishment give us a sense of awe and humility as we recognize the hand of God in it all.

God’s hand is moving us along the path toward becoming a mature writer as surely as he is directing the course of the seasons. The blossoming of the trees and flowers is never late, in God’s timing. Neither is the timing of our “arrival” as writers. He is in control. It’s for us to keep moving forward, persevering as we learn the craft, and rejoicing as He uses our gifts to His purposes. And delighting in the journey.