G is for growth

 

T.S. Eliot described April as the cruelest month in his poem "The Waste Land." It is cruel, even though it's the time for growth, for revival, for rebirth. Despite the beauty of the green growth, the potential for a bone chilling coldness and a sudden snowstorm is always present.

Last April was an extension of winter, with bitterly cold air and random blasts of snow that covered daffodils and hyacinths with icy cold whiteness.

So much was shut down that we looked at the cold, cruel April through window panes. This April feels warmer and gentler. We are experiencing reopening and renewal in many ways. The daffodils and the hyacinths are blooming in the bright colors that have been absent from the landscape for months. It feels sweet right now but maybe the cruelty of the month is hidden beneath the surface. Hidden so that, after a long year, full of loss and sadness, we can enjoy revival, rebirth, new growth. We have come full circle, and it is April again. Full of optimism, we hope that it will be different than it was just a year ago.