Finding Hope in a Bitter Winter…

It’s been another odd winter again so far here in New England. Bitterly cold temperatures and snow have been sandwiched in between unseasonably WARM temperatures and rain. I took a walk outside today to see how nature was interpreting all of this.

Normally in January my Hellebores, those cold hardy, defy all the odds flowers are starting to set flower buds, if not outright blooming. But this year, they are disappointing me. I was only able to spot one lone flower bud, when I expected at least a dozen.

Meanwhile, in the Prickly Pear bed, daffodils were coming up! 

And on the memorials to my cats that have passed, I spied crocuses and miniature tulips emerging!

This is WAY too early! Sunday they are suggesting that we may get 6 inches of snow….will my poor flowers survive?! The short answer is, most likely. Plants and animals always seem to be so much better at adapting to life than us. They know that in spite of the cold and seesawing temperatures, Spring and Hope and Life will prevail. 

Currently, we are struggling thru some serious financial hardships. We are having to rely on the kindness of others for most, if not all, of our food. With no money coming in, heat has also become a luxury. We have lowered the thermostat as far as we can. We dress in many layers and I have taken to wearing a scarf and gloves around the house. I wake often in the night in a panic attack. Things seem desperate and Hope is in short supply, if it exists at all. I can’t even purchase the seeds and sets that I need for this years garden to help feed us. Despair seems to be overwhelming.

Taking a walk today helped remind me of how Nature endures. And I too need to endure. I need to be like those daffodils, bravely poking their leaves out of the ground, knowing, that this winter too, shall end, and the sun and the warmth of Spring shall return, whether we believe in it or not. We must just be patient and strong and endure.