Springtime, Again

I last wrote about signs of spring that are popping out all around me, and then shared my poem about springtime with you. A sure sign of spring for me is the one little crocus that seems to bloom each season beside our house. The rabbits of past winters ate the other little shoots, so only this one remains...to bloom each spring. This little crocus is my sign; my "true north" that spring is really here. Again, the poet in me speaks to this and I will share another of my poems called Enough.

Enough
Just one crocus bloomed this spring
But that was enough for me
I need just one perfect example
Of God's miracle to see
How perfect is the Universe
In all its majesty
Just one bloom
One blade of grass
One singe tree
That is enough for me.

As I type this, a thought occurs to me. When is enough, enough? How much do we have to have in our lives to be content? And in getting more than enough, who do we rob from getting "enough?" We are a very rich country indeed, and a good percentage of us has enough, and even more than enough (including me.) But there are many among us and around the world who do not have enough, and it is these people I am thinking about. How can I who has more than enough help those who do not have enough. A dilemma and a challenge. Am I doing enough? Hmmmmmm. Enough said.

A great big Happy New Year to all ! It always seems a little strange to me to think of our lives in blocks of years. If you think about it, January 1st is just the next day after December 31st but we do place significance on these milestones, I guess, as a way to see where we have been, and to enjoy, even for a brief time, the hope that the new year will bring good things our way. So far, I am waiting; the new year brought the news that my daughter lost her job due to the economy, and Sunday we were at a funeral. I think I will back up my new year, and perhaps begin it on February 1st. In any event, I still continue to be blessed with so many good things in my life that I am not complaining. One of the new year highlights for us was going to see the movie Invictus and if you have not seen it, I recommend that you not miss it. It is a chapter in the life of Nelson Mandela after his 27 years of imprisonment in South Africa when he first became the new South African president. It is also the story of his wisdom in supporting the all white (except one) rugby team, revered by whites and hated by blacks in the first step towards creating a multi-racial country. In support of this team, he manages to bring together whites and blacks in the common cause of supporting and cheering on this national rugby team all the way to the final championship. This film is an inspiration, as is Nelson Mandela, who I believe, at 91, is a prophet in our midst. Invictus is the name of the poem that Nelson Mandela read to himself every day of his 27 year imprisonment, and says that this poem kept his spirit going. The last two lines are: I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul. I cannot help but think also of Victor Frankel who said during his Holocaust imprisonment that "they" could take everything from him except his spirit and soul; that was his to control and keep. This movie is an inspiration.