For Now the Winter is Past

 

... for now the winter is past,
    the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
    the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
    is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
    and the vines are in blossom;
    they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
    and come away.

Song of Solomon 2:11-13

There was only one passage of scripture in today's royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Henry (Harry) in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. To my delight it was actually a mash-up of verses from the spicy Song of Songs, or Song of Solomon, in the Hebrew scriptures. The focus of the preacher was on the latter verses from chapter 8, with the emphasis on the fire of a self-giving, outward-looking love. But I was delighted by the words from chapter 2 which liken love to the end of winter and the fragrance of Springtime. The imagery is all life coming into being and seeing the world with fresh eyes as the seasons change.

As with so much biblical imagery, Creation, and our humans place within it, are celebrated in this passage, as though we can't really understand ourselves outside of nature. 

 Later in the morning I went outside to check our rain barrels to discover that the rainfall had released the fragrance of the lilacs which grow unfettered along a fence line. Is there anything more lovely? I snipped some blossoms to bring inside, but it was being caught off guard by the olfactory surprise which was the gift.