This morning, the sun isn’t up yet. On this the first day of spring, a cold wet week is predicted. All this rain is getting a little old, I must admit. Today there are wind advisories for the nearby lake, with 2-3 foot waves expected. Today just might be the day I drive to picnic in a wind storm just to experience what 2-3′ waves on a desert lake.
With all the rain, pollen counts have been down. As soon as the rain stops, that’ll all change. I thought people moved to the high desert to avoid allergies. I guess not. The prominent culprits here are Mulberry. Ash, and Elm. With the addition of the high winds, sneezing will be on the rise. Without knowing if the cause is Covid or Influenza 1,2,3, or 4, other than driving to the lake in the truck, I plan to breathe fresh air in the back yard and plan.
More birds are moving into the gardens of Winterpast. There are little sparrows conversing with each other on the branches, while finches flit past, hurrying to nest in their little bird houses. The robins have been out every morning pecking through the grass, while two doves walked about on the patio, having made note that no cats live here.
The mustangs have been out and about, but few new foals haven’t dropped yet. There’s nothing cuter than a wild mustang foal. Nothing more hardy, either. They are up and traveling with the herd within a matter of hours after birth. These herds travel miles and miles each day, never stopping for very long. You can pass a herd while running an errand and they will be long gone when you return. The horses are thin after a hard winter. They’re waiting for the rains to stop just as much as we are.
Three years ago, life was very different for me. VST and I traveled to town with K and T for his liver biopsy. There was no thought of baby birds or springtime. VST slept on the way. The day’s procedure was the only way we’d know for sure what type of cancer he had. Without this information, we couldn’t be assigned an oncologist. With the beginning stages of Covid underway, only one person could join VST in the hospital. It would be me that would keep him company until his procedure.
The strength and love T and K brought with them every time they visited was tonic for VST. And, for me, too. He’d put on his best smiles just for them, Assuring them each time that he felt way too good to be really sick. He continued to tell us that until he no longer could speak. That was his story and he was sticking to it until the end.
Through all of this, VST had the strongest faith of anyone I’ve ever known. His belief in the healing power of God and the miracles of spring gave him his strength. He battled a cancer with an uncertain and scary outcome as if it was a February day in the vineyard. The dormant vineyard gave not a hint it would ever come alive again. Just as VST never gave up hope for the beautiful crop we knew we’d surely harvest in the fall, he also remained faithful that God wouldn’t give him more than he could handle. The results of his test ended the need for any other procedures. Stage 4 Cholangiocarcinoma.
Through the journey during our last weeks together, VST headed towards his new beginning. He never stopped celebrating life, even at his sickest. He never questioned his heavenly salvation or the hell that was his cancer. He simply lived every moment appreciating beauty in the smallest things. Even something as small as an ice cream cone. From that experience, I realize he could see his new life just around the corner. Bright and sunny, on the wings of angels, he’d ride into the glory of the heavens.
Winter is past. Spring is here. April. In this most beautiful month, something precious was stolen from me. In return, April always gives back so much in return. The hope for new life. April 9th, 2020 while being bankrupt in many respects, I began my own amazing new journey. Almost three years later, I’m standing in faith, much stronger, a little wiser, and resilient. With a deep faith in new beginnings, a third year starts. Life goes on, full of mysteries yet to unfold.
Whatever you do today, enjoy THIS day, the first of a beautiful spring. Look for the smallest miracles. They surround us all. Look at the new life and rejoice! It’s spring!
Finally!!!!!
More tomorrow.