With the removal of the winter gates from this park in downtown Albany, spring has officially arrived. Whenever this sign goes up in November, my heart sinks a little at the daunting prospect of how long it feels until spring. Then, in a flash, it’s suddenly here.
We’ve made it through the winter wilderness, and while I fully expect winter weather to linger for a bit, we can turn the page – just keep the scarf and shovel handy.
In ‘Simple Prayer for Complex Times’ Lara Downes provides the perfect accompaniment for the first Sunday of spring, when I have chosen to embrace hope and possibility instead of fear and dread. There will be moments to fight and illuminate, but for now, for this morning, I listen with a heart that is open and willing to find the reasons for gratitude. There are many if you think about it – like this park, once again open for walking and sitting and spending a lunch time in quiet contemplation of the luck in being alive.
