During the wild uncertainty of a frightened land,
Spring reached out her mystical hand,
Willing to give us hope.
Angie Weiland-Crosby
A year ago, our world was thrown into a state of uncertainty as the coronavirus pandemic redefined ''everyday life''. Things that we took for granted like traveling, gathering with family and friends, and sharing a hug suddenly were out of our reach ... and that made them even more precious to us.
With the arrival of the covid vaccine a few months ago, there was a glimmer of hope. But distributing the vaccine to everyone who wanted it appeared to be a herculean task. This is going to take time and patience ... and patience has never been one of my strong suits. While it's not a bad place to have to hang out at, we have been wondering long we should plan to be in Florida.
On the positive side, there have been a number of new areas in Florida that we've been able to discover. Walking under the live oaks and sabal palms as well as along the sandy beaches has been good for the soul. Recently we were enjoying the first signs of spring that were popping up along our hiking trails in northern Florida. At first it was just a single lily, and then there were two, and then a few ...
... and suddenly a treasure trove of my favorite flowers lie before us, blanketing the forest floor with their delicate beauty.
What was even more amazing is that we experienced this overflowing beauty while hiking through two state parks that had seen great devastation a few years ago. Torreya State Park and Three Rivers State Park lost 90% of their trees when Hurricane Michael tore through the panhandle of Florida in October 2018. The devastation was still very much evident.
Yet, also evident are the signs of rebirth springing up in the form of the many wildflowers that lined our path. The new abundance of sunshine reaching the forest floor allowed the wildflowers to bloom with colorful beauty ... a small but hopeful sign that this forest is starting to recover.
We received our second sign of hope when we returned from our walk on that first day of spring. The Florida Department of Health announced that they were expanding their vaccine eligibility so that ''youngsters'' like us could now sign up!
Like the birds around us, our hearts began to sing!
We felt grateful that our travel plans will soon be able to take flight once again.
Walking through those hurricane-devastated parks and navigating through our covid-challenged world has shown us that ...
we need to notice the delicate beauty that springs forth out of the devastation,
... and fills us with the hope
... that everyone will soon be able to enjoy
... the simple pleasures of ''everyday life'' once again!
Wishing you an Easter springing forth with Hope!
No comments:
Post a Comment