Spring

Spring brings many events and one is the annual shedding of deer antlers. Recently I headed into the woods in search of these beautiful pieces of nature. I had no idea what I would find since this was my first experience hunting sheds. To my surprise I found a small single antler shortly after I began my search. As I walked, I found many treasures such as abandoned turtle shells, animal carcasses, jonquils, and more antlers of many sizes.

What I did not expect is the flood of emotions that washed over me and I was overwhelmed with joy from stomping through the woods. Sometimes when I experience strong feelings, I check the calendar for significant dates and this day is my mother birthday who died 30 years ago and it is the first day of Spring and I noticed life and death present and existing together. Being a student of Kabballah, opposing forces are always here for us to see and hold. I witnessed dead leaves, animal bones, and sheds covering the forest floor while buttercups raise their blooming heads and trees are full of buds waiting to open, announcing Spring and the hope of new things to come.

The Universe, the Divine, continues to show us the cycle of life, and I have gratitude for the living and the dead. During this season of Lent, many of us are grounded in the promise of life after death and whether you hold this belief true of not, the beauty of all nature has to offer is present for us in this season of renewal and birth.

In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks — John Muir