Spring has sprung. Nature awakens and all things seems possible. Let’s all celebrate in praise of the season
Here’s a warm welcome to the arrival of spring.
The season officially arrived at 9:46 a.m. Friday — not that we were counting the minutes or anything. It’s a time worth noting, as warmer weather, longer periods of sunshine and a feeling of promise and hope. Nature awakens, and all things seems possible, including a budding romance.
“If people did not love each other, I really do not see what use there would be in having any springtime.” From “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo.
We enjoy all environmental aspects of the year here in the Midwest. It’s a wondrous world of rich, dark soil, luxurious fields, stately trees, emerald grass and brilliant blue skies. Spring means we have more time to turn onto a back road, to wander down a path, to explore and seek out a new natural wonder in our midst.
That has been available to mankind as long as we have occupied this corner of the planet. It’s a treasure worth remembering and seeking.
“Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love.” — Lakota leader Sitting Bull in a speech at the Powder River Council in 1877.
We even accept the vagaries of the season, with every possible weather condition possible and even probable. We know winter is beating a retreat, but we also are aware of blizzards that caught us unawares in April. We know thunderstorms, tornadoes and now derechos might be brewing in the skies.
It’s just part of the ride.
“In the spring I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of four-and-twenty hours. — Mark Twain in a Dec. 22, 1876, speech
The rain falls on the just and the unjust, Matthew reminded us. We benefit from it in the long run, with crops reaching upward, livestock drinking from a pond and nature sweeping away the dust and debris of the day. But we must accept the other side of the coin, with storms, flooding and other vagaries of the world.
We must prepare and plan and then pray for the best. It serves as a reminder that we are mere guests, just passing through.
“A little Madness in the Spring is wholesome even for the King.” — Emily Dickinson in a letter written in 1875.
So, happy spring. We hope it’s a superb season.
Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.
Photo: John Tsitrian
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