Letters Home: Section 1, Letter dated October 17

October 17
Katrina,



All seasons hold wonder and beauty and are an asset to the Earth, but spring is an incredible season. The dim grass of winter will begin to change in to a jacket of vibrant green, each blade growing taller as if trying to greet the sun with a handshake and a good-morning smile. The trees will begin to playfully wave their branches at the world, showing off their new buds and their new leaves, stretching out their limbs as though they’ve just woken up after a long winter nap. The birds will return from their winter abode to reunite with friends, together singing to the sun of their activities while on winter break.



Spring is a joyful season. Colorful flowers will peek out from beneath their earthy blanket like a child waiting on Christmas, wondering if it is yet time to arise and determining how cold it is outside of their cocoon. Squirrels will sit in the warmth of the day, looking upward and periodically scratching their heads, uncertain if winter is truly over or if they are about to begin their favorite season, a season where they perform treasured acrobat dances on trapeze phone wires and awe crowds with their abilities to climb anything vertical.



Spring is a season of celebration. House-cats will sit in open windows, meowing reviews to the birds of their singing and watching the Earth come back to life. Dogs will rest in the grass with their front paws crossed, yawning, watching the bees fly figure-eights in the air.



Spring is a Heavenly season. It is a time of rebirth, of new beginnings, of growth. Spring is an opportunity for change and the result of winter hope. Spring is the symbol for all that we have been, all we are, and all that we can be, a reminder that the cycle of life is a circle of change that continues on without end, presenting us with endless possibilities for improvement.



Like the Earth, humans have seasons of change, periods of growth followed by periods of reflection and germination. People seed lives and the lives around them with dreams, plans, thoughts, and actions. We hope to know that when summer is over and the fall begins we’ll leave something good behind, a seed to be comforted by the blanket of winter so that it will sprout in the spring and bloom.



Spring is a new opportunity for life to bloom, for people to grow, and for all living things to look to the sun with joy and thankfulness of being alive.



There is no better time of year to make the first step of change than in the spring, the time of beginnings. As the Earth awakes to new life, so can the souls that walk this Earth. But, just as the flowers have reservations of birth, wondering if the world has warmed enough to help them grow, humans too have hesitations, fear of the first step. Yet, once the fear of the first step has been overcome, one step will lead to another until we are walking comfortably and ready to run.



The baby bird, up in the tree, forces his way into life by pecking at the shell of an egg with strength and determination to live. Soon, the bird is able to peak over the edge of a comfortable nest with curiosity, viewing the world from the height of a tree. The world is filled with wonders for this new creature, the sound of rustling leaves mingling with the barking dogs below, the feel of the breeze that carries the fragrance of flowers. But, the bird cannot leave the nest until learning how to fly, how to soar high above the ground, until learning how to use the skills and strengths unborn yet inside him. Yet, in time, the baby bird will take that first step with shaky knees, swallowing hard for reassurance, flapping his wings in terror and excitement, stepping outside the nest and singing as he learns to fly, a bit off balance at first, until he is soaring.



But, let us not forget that spring is born of hope, and hope can be found in every moment. One need not wait until the rebirth of the Earth to create a rebirth of the self. Don’t you agree, Sister?



Forever,
Christina




This work is fictional. Any resemblance to actual situations or persons, living or dead, is coincidental and unintentional.