In less than an hour (it's 11:08pm as I write this), Spring will be here! I spent the afternoon in my flowerbeds, clearing away the dead leaves, branches and debris carried into my yard by the wind and snow. The Lenten roses are blooming, and so are the crocus; the tulips and daffodils won't be far behind. This week I'll be setting up my germination station to start my garden veggies and annuals. I have a magnificent system using soil blockers, foil cake pans with clear plastic lids, a homemade lighting unit and a huge heating pad. Last year was my "experimental" year. This year I have a much better grip on what I'm doing. All that's left is ordering the seeds, which I'll have done before midnight strikes on this last day of winter.
Speaking of seeds, the editorial by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P. found in this year's Magnificat Lenten Companion I found to be particularly enlightening. Here's a portion of it:
The directions on the packet of flower seeds read: "Seeds need darkness to germinate." It makes me think of myself. I want to grow. I want to become more than I am. Yet, so often my self-guided efforts leave me feeling empty, looking for Something More. The "germination", the better life that I seek, must start in darkness. Lent is that darkness.
In that darkness the seed must die so that new life can begin.
Instead of offering the fruits of the harvest, Cain should have offered the Lord his seeds.
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