Spring and Eclipse: The Promise of Hope

I spent a few days last week (in between the raindrops) working in my gardens, raking up hundreds of empty acorn and hickory shell halves, evidence of a thriving squirrel and chipmunk population on our humble plot of earth. Although not a huge fan of gardening, I do enjoy the springtime foray into my various plantings, cutting back dead growth, raking the detritus of the fall and winter seasons, and turning over the damp earth (which is TRULY damp this year) that reminds me of my dad, past gardens, and the new life of new growth. Working the soil in the spring sunshine always brings me a new hope for the coming summer.

Because really, spring is truly a time of hope. We pat ourselves on the back for surviving yet another cold winter of snow and ice and darkness, and look forward to the new season with child-like anticipation. The lengthening days and warming breezes fill my heart with breathless anticipation for what’s to come. I can’t help but envision my gardens overflowing with the vibrant colors of my favorite perennials; the bright yellows and oranges of the daffodils that signal a spring that aims to please and hang around for awhile - so much bolder then the shy snowdrops and crocuses. I dream of my peonies in full bloom, complimented by my azalea, rhododendron and lavender bushes. I particularly look forward to the belles of summertime in our yard - our lovely purple, white and pink hydrangeas that shout out the blessings of summer and good will.

For me, spring is God’s promise of renewal and hope. Many mark the renewal at Easter, but the season of hope extends beyond that one day, doesn’t it? God continues to shout out hope and renewal to us in the seemingly magical unfolding of spring. Each morning brings a new breath of anticipatory hope: a forsythia in full golden bloom that was but a skeletal bush the day before; a sudden sea of tulips bowing in the breeze, giving full glory to their divine calling to simply be tulips that signal a new season; a sudden greening of the fields, evidence that the miracles of sunshine and rain continue on in their everlasting symphony of hopeful re-creation. And if that’s not hope made real, what is?

And this year? A full solar eclipse! It’s as if God has said, “Wait! You all need something more this year, in this time of confusion and discord and sorrow. Let Me give you yet another sign of beauty and magnificence to let you know that all is well with this Universe! Let Me show you, once again, that I know exactly what I’m doing! Let Me show you the Divine Master at work yet again!” And with His masterful precision, as a conductor of the vast Universe-Symphony, a full solar eclipse will occur (or will have occurred for those who read this after today’s event) in this most beautiful time of year, as spring fully blooms into its fullness. It is an amazing sign of the wonder of this universe, of the perfection of each moment; of each plant and tree, of each star, each planet and meteor and molecule.

Some have suggested that this solar eclipse is a warning from God - for whatever sins they envision would portend such a warning. Personally, such a medieval outlook seems to me to be a sad commentary on God, reflecting a tragic loss of all hope, never mind a failure to fully appreciate the grandeur and majesty of Creation itself; of the Divinity present in each element of Creation.

I don’t see this as a warning, but as yet one more demonstration of an all-powerful, all-loving God Who is in full control of the Universe. The stars and sun and moon spin and whirl and dance to His command. I choose to see this eclipse as a divine sign of hope, the hope of spring that is emboldend and glorified to embody the entire Cosmos in an inspiring eclipse.

So today, because of the eclipse (or maybe inspite of it?) choose hope. Take a walk in a garden. Look at a daffodil, or a newly-leafing tree. Watch the cardinals and finches building their nests. Note the flowering trees, the first-time-this-year mown grass. And know that hope will always triumph in this world. The evidence is in heaven and on earth. You simply have to stop for a minute and look.