I am not a walker. In fact, I really don’t like to exercise at all. I’ve even been known to tell people that exercising is against my religion. (I will say as an aside, I do like to eat although not necessarily healthy foods; my breakfast this morning was 3 large m&m cookies. If not for good genes, I would probably weigh 500 pounds.) Anyway, if I do get out for a walk, it is because my friends cajole me into it and even then, I can find an excuse not to go with them about two-thirds of the time. I do not like to take walks. So, I surprised myself when my smart watch nudged me to stand up and I decided to not only stand up but to put on my tennis shoes and head out for a long walk.
As I walked along the trail past the wetlands, I listened to the hum of the freeway. Then I heard geese honking and birds chirping and singing. I saw ducks gliding in the swamp and robins loitering on the path. The skies were bright blue without a cloud in sight. Rarely did anyone pass by me. I noticed the buds on the brush around me. Some buds so tiny that I wondered if they were truly there. Some buds with a hint of a green just breaking through their budding covers. Some buds that were definitely leaves. There was not enough for that full tinge of green we see in May but enough to know that the brush is waking up this year.
Recently I received a letter to reminding me that “we all have opportunities to start fresh each new year”. Just like the trees and flowers, we have the opportunity to start anew; to rise out of hibernation and bloom. I wonder though, do we have to wait for spring, or the start of the calendar year, or the start of the program year, or the start of the fiscal year? Do we have to wait for Easter to live and die with Christ and then experience the resurrection? No, every day is a new day, an opportunity to bloom and grow; to witness resurrection in the world around us. As we shelter-in-place, we may feel like we are hibernating but we are still growing in and with God’s love.
I may not be a walker but I am a child of God. I am trying each day to start fresh in the knowledge and love of God. I pray the same for you. Agape!
by Margaret Thor
