The End of Winter

It was a very long winter. Dry days, not much snow but cold, cold, cold. The kind of cold you feel under your layers of clothing when you finally lay down under a blanket to nap. I’m glad it’s over even though usually, I enjoy winter.

My daughter was sick – enough to be hospitalized and then there were lingering issues. Frightening ones. When someone you love is sick, what’s important, truly important, narrows and collides until it’s down to a single constant ray of focus like the beam of sunlight through a magnifying glass. Her illness took me far away from regular life.

I found relief from worry in binging The West Wing at night, a righteous series of goodness over evil and high ideals. Martin Sheen’s character President Jeb Bartlett was so filled with hope, even while battling his own illness. The first few years of his presidency was so honorable, I found myself either crying or covered with goose bumps. Later, the series became gnarly and more realistic to our world. But I watched those years too. In fact, I finished the series – all 7 seasons.

My daughter is very well now and thriving for which I am grateful. But the winter has left its spikes in me. I’m not quite trusting these first warm spring breezes and their promises. I’ve gingerly set up my backyard terrace, buying a few rosy begonias and a new solar light covered in an all-weather hood of vinyl rattan. I hope to see its glow from my kitchen window on summer nights. But these are just small steps towards the sun which will surely inhabit the full of the backyard before long.

As I learn to feel safe from winter’s tentacles, I will search for dresses for weddings and bridal showers and a fancy dress for my little granddaughter who will be a flower girl for one of the brides. And Besame’s new Holly Pink lipstick looks to be a promising summer accompaniment with its fetching blend of pink and coral (thank you Karen). Still calling on the strength I found in West Wing’s lessons, I will keep looking for good things as the bright days grow longer still.

A co-worker, who was a man I admired for his interesting insights about the weather, told me one early spring that he believed it would not snow again because “winter’s back is finally broken”. I loved that expression and he was right…it didn’t snow again and what’s more I remember the zenith of spring that year came fast and lingered on, so much so, that people were still talking about it the following year.

We find strength and hope in unlikely places, like 25 year old TV shows, sometimes movies and a lot of times, books. We pray, we confide in people we trust who will pray with us and for us. And when our personal trying season’s back is finally broken, we welcome early flowers and shy glimpses of light, dresses and lipsticks…