Just a few weeks ago my yard looked dreary. Because I have not been able to do my normal spring gardening tasks the roses were not trimmed, the potted plants were still loitering in the garage and the weeds had overtaken all of the flowerbeds. I almost did not want to open the windows to see the starkness of my yard and I fretted a bit because my surgery had demanded that I stay out of the yard for three months.
I am a person who has trouble asking for help. I tend to work out my own problems. I like to be strong enough to get things done by myself. Suddenly I realized that I was going to have to swallow my silly pride and reach out for people help. The first person I contacted was the man who mows my lawn each week during the growing season. Jose is one of the most reliable people in my life but I did not want to overburden him with jobs that I usually do. Still, the unsightliness of my back yard bothered me so I finally asked him to plant a new rose bush that I had purchased and to clean up the flowerbeds.
He responded immediately and it was amazing to watch how quickly he worked to transform the area into the kind of loveliness that I generally do myself. Then he trimmed my roses to make sure that they would grow nicely in the coming weeks. Suddenly I looked out my window and felt joy not just in seeing the buds bursting forth but in knowing that I had overcome my pridefulness. I celebrated as the azaleas and roses began to bloom free of the weeds and straggly branches that had formed in the dreary winter months. Mostly I saw that Jose was more than eager to do me the favors of making my environment more beautiful and I was more than happy to give him a generous tip and complement for his efforts.
It was a very cold day in the peak of winter when I had my surgery and much like my backyard I came home bedraggled and weary. As the weeks have passed I have begun to bloom again like my flowers and I think about the magic and miracle of the changing seasons. I have learned over time to enjoy each of them for the joys that they bring. Spring is perhaps the most glorious of the times and this spring is particularly special for me because it comes at a time when I have learned many lessons about how to live a good life.
It is fitting that we design the seasons the way that we do. Winter is time that allows us to spend time resting and pondering in the warmth of our homes. Spring is always a new beginning a time of resurrection for us all. It is a time for growth of both nature and our minds. During this spring there should also be a moment to ask ourselves why we humans fight among ourselves. What is it about us that compels us to compete with each other and all too often to hurt each other rather than coexisting in peace?
I have always felt that the Easter season represents the most important messages of Christianity. Jesus was brutally put to death for no legitimate reason. Sadly such deaths have continued to occur throughout human history almost always in the name of power and religious beliefs. Jesus challenged the status quo and as such he was deemed to be a criminal even as his life and preaching showed him to be a gentle soul. He was viewed as a radical only because he questioned the way things were done and how people were being treated.
In today’s world we have culture wars all over the planet. The violence that results continues to hurt innocents just as surely as Jesus was harmed. We humans claim to be advancing in our thinking and yet over two thousand years from the time of Jesus we continue to forge battles with each other over differences that we choose not to understand. We complain about the draconian evil of the leaders of Iran but then we call anyone who questions the decisions of our own president radicals who should be feared and punished.
Somehow I tend to believe that if Jesus were to come back to the earth today he would end up being viewed as a troublemaker once again. He was always willing to call out greed or cruelty. He disobeyed silly rules to save lives. He asked us to be more like innocent children. He cavorted with people who were hated by the society in which he lived. In other words, he might have been the Alex Pretti of today’s world. I think he would have embraced the immigrants and asked us to quit killing each other over oil and religious feuds. He would scoff at our culture wars that make criminals out of people who have done nothing other than live in ways that we too often choose not try to understand.
My yard is telling me that even the ugliness of winter weeds and death can be overcome. This is a perfect time for each of us to reach out to every person around us in a spirit of compassion and love. Like the children that Jesus so enjoyed we should rely on our innocence to embrace our differences in a spirit of peace. It’s time that we value the people like Jose in our world for the goodness that they bring to us. It is time that we understand that those who challenge us to live together without judgement are the ones who truly understand the lesson of renewal that happens every spring. Jesus tried to teach us this but somehow we have contorted his words over and over again.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 