Buds, Bonnets and Beginnings

It’s easy to be downcast at the moment. The news is dire. Death, famine, war and conquest – the four horsemen of old all riding the earth. Nothing new in that, upsetting as it may be, but the suffering is very present right now. Add to that the apparent inability of our leaders to do anything sensible to avert climate disaster, criminals and liars at the head and heart of government, and you could be forgiven for feeling a little dispirited.

My thoughts wandered from this to the significance of this time of year. Spring is all around us, buds on the trees, displays of daffodils, new life emerging. Christians celebrate Easter, which is all about death and resurrection, in Judaism the two Seder meals celebrate liberation from the oppressor (Egypt in that case), Sikhs have their spring harvest foundational celebrations in Vaisakhi. There’s a lot in the air about new beginnings, new life, freedom and hope.

Hope may feel naive at the moment but I think there is a sense in which we have to chose to hope, because the alternative is to give in and we can’t afford to do that. My hope for today is that we all find some peace and recharge our batteries, that we can hope against the odds, and that we will see the tide turn, and a brighter future.