Sing me to happy...
Did you see the new moon? It hung in the western horizon. A smile. A new beginning. And if that wasn’t enough. We jumped forward into Spring. In Arizona, for two weeks citrus trees fill the air with perfume. This week the scent of orange blossoms arrived. It’s a moment. Stop everything. Savor the sweetness.
I’m working to savor the sweetness of our new puppy. He’s getting bigger and stronger. This means I stop him frequently on walks, ask him to sit and remind him to stay by my side. He likes to pull forward.
I’ve spent the last two weeks microwaving heating packs and rolling out my back to relieve pain from allowing him to pull me too hard.
Truth is, I want to race forward. I don’t want to grieve. Our old dog passed away recently and I still tear up. When will I be better?
My neighbor stopped by this morning. She told me it took her a year to make it through the passing of her beloved dog.
Years ago, I knew a minister who saw our lab and told me he had a Labrador once. This man devoted his life to God, eternity, speaking at funerals and comforting people in mourning. He confided in me that he was so torn up after his lab’s death that he never wanted to experience that kind of loss again. He said he hasn’t had a dog since.
I try to be gentle on myself as I work through this time. Allowing the sorrow. Allowing the joy of Spring and a new puppy and the orange blossoms. Allowing myself time to remember the journey my old pup and I walked together. Allowing myself and the puppy patience as we learn how to walk forward together.
Spring comes early in Arizona. In our garden, sweet-peas blossom, sunflowers tower and turn to the sun, hollyhocks approach heaven in height and glory. Hummingbirds and bees have arrived.
The trouble with lingering in grief too long is that I could miss the orange blossoms.
And the sweet-peas.
And the sunflowers.
And the hollyhocks.
The song lyrics for this week express my longing to find a way to be happy in the sweetness of this moment with all of its endings and beginnings.
May I sing me to happy…
Following hummingbird and bee
To the flowers in the garden
Who sing happy to me.
Open my eyes
Open my eyes
To the Beauty from Thee
And the Goodness in the garden
Singing happy to me.
May Peace be with you as you savor the sweetness life. And may you (and I) answer the call of something or someone who is singing happy to you.
Kathleen
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