Spring’s Last Showing

As Spring continues to deliver
     its blooms and blossoms,
     greens and grasses,
     wild weather and watery eyes,
It also signals a change for our clan,
     as A moves into his 2nd year of residency,
     as G1 faces more job insecurity due to federal cuts,
     as T scrambles to pack out after a month of deployment,
     as G2 sails her last mission at sea,
     as G3 transitions from cadet to ensign, student to adult,
     as my house buzzes with kids and their friends cycling in and out,
     as 5 of us traverse the country from East Coast to West,
     as I await my employment fate for next year,
     and our students await their changes,
Spring delivers what it does best ~ transformation.

But then Summer will dawn slowly, lazily,
     as we clap out our graduating 4th graders,
     as I pack up my classroom,
     as I turn off my programmed weekday alarm,
     as I alter my daily routine,
     and the house grows quiet, save for two rowdy pups.
Summer ushers in
     a respite from the rush,
     a break from the busy,
     a cutoff from the chaos,
     a slowing to the schedule.
Summer makes room for
     sleep ins and jammies ‘til noon,
     naps in the backyard hammock,
     reading under the shade trees,
     dining on the porches,
     biking the local paths,
     walking through towns,
     kayaking the canal,
     and meals, coffee, drinks and walks with friends.
Summer allows for
     smaller doses and more flexible teaching,
     some much needed home improvement,
     yard care, vegetable harvesting and cut flowers,
     and a 3 week excursion up the Pacific Highway,
     starting with one daughter and ending with another,
     with solo adventure in between!

Life is lived in Seasons,
     those brought on by Nature's rhythm,
     those we intentionally choose,
     and those on Life's terms.
How we greet those Seasons,
     how we interpret and fold them into our narrative,
     how we accept and metabolize them,
     how we open ourselves to them,
     allowing change to happen in and around us,
     is what creates our transformation.
From the Seasons, we come to recognize the beauty in change,
     and take our cues from what they request,
     from the tug of torpor,
     to the beckoning to blossom,
     to the space to savor,
     and the leaning to let go.

Photo:  a standout in my bouquet.  by LA