I like to think of Lent as a season of noticing. When we give something up, we notice its absence. When we add something in, we notice its presence. Whether we add to or take away from the normalcy of our lives, we notice, we pay attention. In Lent, we are invited to pay attention more closely to our relationship with God as we approach Easter. For hundreds of years Christians have been practicing Lent and as a result have been practicing the act of noticing.
Today I decided to pay attention to the buds on the trees as I walked. Particularly, the buds on the cherry trees. You see, my mom is coming to visit in a few weeks, and she is coming to see cherry trees in full bloom. She did her research and booked her plane ticket just at the time the cherry trees are supposed to bloom this year. So, with all the weird weather we have been having, I am paying close attention to those little buds.
And then I could not stop. As I left my cherry tree lined street, I continued to walk by the brambly forest and all I could see were these little green buds.
They gave me so much hope. Spring really is coming. Despite the cold, snow, and rain we have been having off and on for the last few months—this damp chilly air will leave and the sun will beat down on us again, causing our gardens to grow and our skin to warm. Those buds gave me hope. Woven in among the brambles and messiness of the shrubs and forest, there is life.
Open your eyes. Look up, look around, look inside. There is hope. There is always hope.