Sunday Evening Reflection – Spring Awakening

Posted byRebecca BuddPosted inLucy Maud Montgomery, Mary Oliver, Peace, Sunday Reflection, The Woods, VancouverTags:, , , ,

“That is one good thing about this world…there are always sure to be more springs.” L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

A Spring Walk

“And the Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast
Rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.”
Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Complete Poems

Whenever I feel the uncertainty of a moment, a lingering fear of the unknown or sense of urgency, I go to nature and feel the strength of the earth under my footsteps. The trees bestow their gracious welcome as the sounds of the forest fill my soul with a peaceful silence. The sky, the wind, the sun and clouds remind me that I belong to this world. I am home.

Spring has arrived.

As a global community, we are learning to reinvent our lives. The road turned and we have come upon an unexpected detour. The path may be unclear, but we are together. And that gives me great comfort. Join me on my nature walk and consider the words of the poet, Mary Oliver.

“Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields…Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness.” Mary Oliver

The promise of spring.

Published by Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

52 thoughts on “Sunday Evening Reflection – Spring Awakening”

    1. Thank you, my dear friend. I am waiting for the rhododendron and azaleas, which should be out in a couple of weeks. Take good care of your self – all the very best coming your way with speed and enthusiasm. Many hugs!

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Dear Rebecca,
    spring is here as well 🙂 🙂 We had sunny and warm weather during the last weeks and all the plants are blossoming now. So we are most of our time in the garden, well, we are in isolation anyway. It doesn’t matter so much for us as we are enjoying the garden and our cosy house.
    We hope you are all well. Sending big hugs and xxxx to you. Keep healthy and happy
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I have imagined my dear friends, “The Fab Four of Cley” in the garden and reading in their beautiful new room of books. I am there with you. I am finding time of solitude to provide a space for creative endeavors and reflection. This is not an easy time for many people. It is difficult to plan within this type of uncertainty. I’m grateful for those who are on the front lines in our hospitals and care facilities. Every night, we open our windows and join with others to clap for our health workers. The balconies are alive with music, clapping, banging pots. Thank you for your friendship across the miles – your support and encouragement over the years has been a source of inspiration for me and our blogging community. Lots of love and many hugs to my dear friends, the Fab Four of Cley.

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      1. What a kind comment, our dear friend Rebecca 🙂 🙂 THANK YOU VERY MUCH! We are aware of being previleged to have quite a big garden. It must be hell living in a small apparment with a child now. We can easily cope that has to do with our situation.
        We have had the clapping and banging for all those in the front line here too.
        We realy enjoy our contact. Friends are so important in those times, and you are really a friend.
        Today, we walked to the next village to do some shoping. We met nearly none, those we meet were very communicative keeping distance. We got some rhubarb given and worked in the garden. Our garden never looked that well before.
        Lots of love to you and your family, all the best
        The Fab Four of Cley
        🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      2. As you know, our plans were to visit you this coming summer, but we will be coming when this will pass. I was just rereading your post, “My Favourite Reads of Last Year.” Our family has a challenge to read 25 books in 2020 so I am collecting ideas. What I most appreciated was that you write a couple of sentences about every book that you read. I will start doing that too!! I thought you would be interested in this article since you wrote about Polar Explorers: https://www.fastcompany.com/90483858/7-things-that-polar-explorers-used-to-stay-sane-for-months-of-isolation-that-work-in-quarantine. I love that one expedition brought a bagpiper with them.

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      3. Dear Clanmother Rebecca,
        for years now I write down a few sentences about every book I have read. Hardly ever more than 5 sentences, but this is enough to make me remember that book again. I suppose these sentences would give others an idea about the book as well.
        Thanks for this link. Indeed, reading and music are important to stand isolation and good food. This we are experiencing right now as well.
        It’s amazing how many books we read right now. The pile of unread books is slowly but steadily vanishing. And we watch films in the evenings and do our wordgames every evening as well.
        We are very much looking forward to welcome you at our’s again. Keep fit
        Love, Hugs and Kisses
        The Fab Four of Cley
        🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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      4. Good morning, dear Clanmother Rebecca,
        we wish you a very happy birthday and many happy returns. Stay happy, healthy and cheerful. We are so happy having you as a dear friend 🙂 🙂
        Have a great celebration and enjoy your day. Here the sun is shining, it’s warm and we are off to our garden. Tonight we’ll drink one on you. Cheers!
        With love, kisses and hugs
        The Fab Four of Cley
        🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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      5. I will be there with you in spirit. How I love your company – books, music, laughter, great conversations. As our solitude deepens, I am more and more conscience of our wonderful connection. Thank you for celebrating my special day. I understand that this is when we enter the time of “active wisdom.” I’m waiting for wisdom to stop by!! “Of any stopping place in life, it is good to ask whether it will be a good place from which to go on as well as a good place to remain.” Mary Catherine Bateson, Composing a Life, The Age of Active Wisdom. Lots of love and many hugs to my dear friends, The Fab Four of Cley.

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      6. Dear Rebecca,
        thank you very much for your kind words 🙂 🙂
        Do you know what our dear Master does now? He starts reading “In Search of Lost Time” again. He read it first when he was in his teens. He is curious how he understands this never ending novel now. Before we all read together “The Plague” by Albert Camus. We love his language and were amazed how current that novel is.
        After some weeks of sunshine it’s raining today and so we’ll have a cosy day inside. We’ll think about `active wisdom´and hope that this wisdom is stopping at ours as well.
        Our dear friend, we send you finest fairie dust and big hugs
        The Fab Four of Cley
        🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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      7. Thank you Klausbernd – I have found both books by Albert Camus – “The Plague” and “In Search of Lost Time.” I will be reading them with you. I believe that we must look back to engage with those who have come before. I believe books allow us to overcome the limitations and barriers of time, space and location. I felt the finest fairie dust comes drifting my way. Ah, wisdom has come…. Hugs and more hugs.

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      8. Proust and Camus – just one generation apart. Proust celebrates in a way the end of an age and Camus wrote “La Peste” at the end of fascism. Proust has a Jewish upper class background whereas Camus comes from a rather poor family. Both were leading French writers of their time.
        What a great idea reading these books together. I started with Camus. Reading Proust I will need months. “The Plague” I will finish today.
        Happy reading, hugs and all the best for you and your family
        Klausbernd and the rest of The Fab Four of Cley
        🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    1. She was a treasure!! I came upon Mary Oliver when I was looking up quotes for living within nature. I understand that she found nature to be a powerful creative force, which is not surprising!!! She loved to walk. I read somewhere that she would hide pens/pencils in trees in case she forget to bring them with her. What I found most interesting was that her poetry came her daily walks near her home.

      This is one of my most favourite. After reading this,I believe that we can grow wings:
      “I want to think again of dangerous and noble things.
      I want to be light and frolicsome.
      I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing,
      as though I had wings.”
      Mary Oliver, Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Ah, Jean-Jacques – thank you for bringing the power of poetry to my life. I was reading your poem, “Awake In A Dream – as I sleep,” this morning. Your words resonated for when we encounter this complex times, it seems like we are in a surrealistic dream. Friendship and community continue to foster resilience.

      “I’m awake
      In a dream,
      Though I know
      Without doubt
      I’m asleep,
      On this night
      I recall
      Having counted
      Them all,
      The sheep
      That do roam
      In my head,
      Unaware
      If I’ll sleep
      Long enough to,
      To discover
      What lies ahead…”

      Liked by 1 person

  5. My dear Rebecca, I imagine you and all our lovely blogger friends taking a walk together in all these wonderful places you bring to us. A hike along trails and paths where we can walk arm in arm carefree and chatting, enjoying God’s beautiful creation, always mindful of those who cannot. In some ways, I feel like that happens anyway, on some level. Be safe, be well. Hugs!!!

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    1. What a wonderful image to begin my day. I was reading up on visualization these past days, given the idea of remaining within a fixed location and feeling a sense of freedom. I understand that “visualization activates the creative powers of the subconscious mind, motivating it to work harder at creating solutions.” A few decades ago I had an emergency appendectomy. I will always remember my anesthesiologist who advised me to visualize a moment where I felt complete peace and relaxation. For me it was a evening walk along Vancouver’s Sunset Beach. He said that would be the first vision that would come to mind when I would awaken. And so, it came to pass. So thank you for giving me a vision of our walk through the woods. A gift for my week.

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    1. I am delighted that you joined me in my walk. These photos were taken at the time that the crows begin gathering for the evening flight home to their roost. Thank you for your heartwarming comments – so very much appreciated. Hugs and keep safe…

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  8. Any day with Mary Oliver is a good day. I’m wondering what the yellow flowers are. I don’t think I’ve seen them before. I like how half are open and the other half are still waiting.

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    1. I found out the name of the plant via Google. My photos are backed up on Google, which has a search mechanism using photos – love this AI!!! This from Wikipedia: “Mahonia aquifolium, the Oregon grape, is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to western North America. It is an evergreen shrub growing to 1 m (3 ft) tall by 1.5 m (5 ft) wide, with pinnate leaves consisting of spiny leaflets, and dense clusters of yellow flowers in early spring, followed by dark bluish-black berries.” In autumn, they have the marvelous blue berry that comes out. You are so right – any day with Mary Oliver is a good day! Take care!! Hugs!

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      2. I happened upon it by accident. Technology is keeping me on my toes these days. I am trying to figure out Zoom now to connect with my family in Alberta. I continue to learn… Interesting that you thought of grapes, because that is what it looks like in late summer, early autumn.

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      4. I just went on Zoom yesterday with my family in Alberta. It is easy to use and I think that this type of communication will increase as we go along, even when this time of solitude passes. Love the link! Thank you. You always give joy to my day. Hugs and stay safe!

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    1. Happy spring, my dear friend. It feels good to get out and walk even within a time of social distancing. I find that a smile can reach beyond the distance and a wave always give a life to my day. Thank you for your enthusiasm for life!! Hugs coming your way.

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    1. Thank you so much for your heartwarming comments. We are able to go for walks in a park nearby following social distancing protocol. Nature is a healing force, reminding me that this time will pass. “Walk in nature and feel the healing power of the trees.“ Anthony William

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  12. I’m so pleased for you, and all in the upper Northern Hemisphere. Spring must be such a boon after your cold, cold winters. Brrrrr…
    We, of course, are now beginning to experience Autumn/Fall. However, Rebecca, summer is lingering – a little too long as usual.
    For me, though, Autumn is my most favourite season. In contrast to you Northerners, after our too hot summers the cooler winds of Autumn are extremely refreshing. Our winters, at least in my little corner of Oz, are temperate and tolerable.
    Loved your video; and the accompanying music – delightful.
    Enjoy Spring.
    xoxoxo

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Our spring has been just a little colder than usual so we still wear our gloves a warm coats. My family in Alberta is still experiencing -8 – 10 weather. While every season has unique beauty, I share your love of Autumn. Perhaps it is the nostalgia or the sense of moving forward, a renewal, harvest and celebration. I’m so glad you enjoyed the video. The music comes from Epidemic Sound, which allows me to use their music under creator license. There are so many talented musicians.

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  13. Thank you for this beautiful message. Yes, we have come to a turn in the road, but there is spring all around us. What a lovely time of the year, and so new and encouraging. I wish I had time to read all the comments, I am sure they worth much. I treasure your message and your video, I enjoyed every second. You are an encouragement always. Thank you for your “spring” message.

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