Soul Flow III

White Trillium—photo by Susan Izard

Dear Soul Friends,

Spring has been spectacular these past few days. It’s chilly and windy but the bright blue sky and radiant sunlight have illuminated every inch of Mother Earth. A particularly glorious dogwood tree is blooming in the tiny wildflower garden outside my kitchen window. Having planted it in honor of my father, it is a treat to stare at as I wash the dishes. I can almost hear my father’s voice in the glorious white blossoms swaying in the wind, “Susan, look at the dogwood!” 

Each year, I can count on the dogwood blooming. The wildflowers underneath it are a different story. I’m never quite sure what will show up year after year. Every day offers something new to discover. This morning it was delightful to find six foxgloves pushing up between wild geranium, bleeding heart, and sweet woodruff. A few years ago, I planted foxgloves in the garden behind the garage. Finding them under the dogwood made me laugh. The wind or a bird must have dropped the seed and it will be a joy to see them bloom before I move. 

Behind the house and down a small hill are two more dogwoods I planted fourteen years ago in honor of my oldest daughter’s wedding. A bunch of tiny columbine blooming amidst a blanket of moss are surrounding the dogwood, even though I planted the columbine in a garden bed on the other side of the house. They appear much happier in this new location. Three white trillium next to a Jack-in-the-Pulpit and a large stand of Solomon Seal adorn the base of a massive Sycamore tree. They’ll grace this tiny bit of woodland for a few weeks before dying back and settling in for their next season. 

For thirty-five years I’ve tended this garden. In my younger years when I was filled with energy, I carefully planned the garden and placed plants exactly where I wanted them to grow. I quickly realized that only some plants like to grow in my garden and decided that if one showed up it wanted to be there. The delphinium preferred someone else’s soil and sunlight. But my mother’s Shasta daisies continue to spread despite the determination of the bunnies who seem to multiply by the hundreds year after year. I’ll have to take some of the daisies to my new garden along with the thalictrum my mother-in-law transplanted from her mother-in-law’s garden in North Carolina decades ago. We’ll see if they like their new environment.

Soul is like the garden. She flows from year to year sharing wisdom and beauty in the quiet stillness of my heart. She loves the trillium as much as I do and is confident that I’ll find some along a trail in my new hometown sometime next spring. It’s comforting to know that soul travels with us wherever we go pointing out the beauty of each place. All we need to do is pay attention and remember to watch and see glory unfold before us. It’s important to give thanks for the gift of being alive. 

Thank you, dear Soul Friends, for all your lovely emails and messages. I will continue to write when I move. It is good for my soul. 

As you travel through this week, may you be blessed with the gift of newness. May your worry and concern be soothed by an inner knowing that you are encircled and surrounded by a guiding presence of loving wisdom.

Deep peace to you,

Susan