Today’s Word from Rev. David Bieniek…
One spring morning not too long ago, before we were sheltered in place, I woke up to the most glorious site. Mt. Baker was out; the early morning colors of the sun were just beginning to reappear, subtle yet brilliant. The color in the sky reflected in the smooth waters of the sound. While soaking in this beauty from our deck, I heard the most amazing cacophony of bird song that I had heard in a while. Songbirds were waking; the barred owl was hooting from its roost after a night of hunting. What blessings!
As I walked to the meadow with our dogs, I noticed life returning all around me – fruit trees blooming, long dormant bulbs pushing up through the fertile earth, flowering in their own unique ways. Amid the growth and beauty, I paused to reflect on what had been lost through the long, wet winter. Not all plants survived; the wet, not the cold, had taken its toll. There are seasons of loss in our lives – deaths and divorces, friends who had moved away, illnesses and struggles. Life, loss, and rebirth are all parts of the cycle of life. They teach us about living authentically, giving deeper meaning to our own spiritual awareness.
This time of sheltering in place may seem like a long, wet winter when things are rotting in the ground around us. But, perhaps it is also like spring, when we discover God working in and through us in new ways, when our world is filled with beauty, renewal, and hope; when birds sing in their own time and space, and when the earth reveals itself, helping us realize what is deep inside of us. A new spring is here. Eventually our isolation will end. We will rejoin friends and family. We will mourn losses. But today, we count the blessings of spring.
Rev. Dave Bieniek
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