Lately, it seems, that I’ve had a number of friends and
family members with challenges going on and sometimes it’s hard to find the
right thing to say without sounding trite or uncaring.
One challenge was easier than the others. A friend’s
daughter was getting married so all I had to do was dress up and get to the
wedding, which was beautiful, while my friend and her husband handled a million
details. The whole evening was great fun.
Another friend recently lost a family member after a long
illness. I’ve been in that situation so I know what all the words of comfort
sound like, and they should sound trite, but they don’t because the one
offering comfort is sincere.
I’ve decided that all of these events seem a little easier
to handle right now because of one of my favorite words – Spring.
It’s true that I have absolutely nothing to complain about
as far as winter weather is concerned because I live in southern Arizona, the
place where winter visitors flock from colder climes, which is why we call them
snowbirds.
Still, trees are budding with new growth, flowers are
blooming. The above pictures are of my backyard flowers, including a tiny view of the pollinator garden I planted last fall. We
had several freezing nights during the winter, so I was worried my fledgling
plants would die. Boy, was I wrong. The bees and butterflies seem to be
thrilled with my massive overgrowth of flowers.
A mourning dove – not the brightest of birds—has made a nest
on a low shelf in a sheltered corner of my two-sided sunshade ramada out back.
She laid two eggs in it and I tiptoe around, hoping not to disturb her. I hope
to keep the nest a secret from one and all, but I know that will be impossible
once they hatch and start cheeping their own versions of “Mom, feed me.”
All of that being said, I now need to get back to work
finding the right words for my current work in progress. What’s another word
for procrastination? Oh, yeah, laziness.
Hi Patti! I have had the same situation several times over the last few months. Illness, deaths and other things that leave me worried about what to say. Funny, my characters are never at a loss for words. I have a few birds that have adopted my backporch as their nesting places as well. Can't wait to hear all the new birds welcoming the day!
ReplyDeleteMe too. Last spring I had a couple of nests, but they were higher up in the rafters. I loved seeing the babies learning to fly.
DeleteAww! Watching the doves hatch and grow will be such a blessing! And know what to say in times of grief is hard. Sometimes a hug says it all.
ReplyDeleteI see the renewal each spring as a reminder that life goes on in spite of grief.
Delete"...that life goes on in spite of grief." I love that. I've noticed that so often when a family loses a beloved older relative, that's just about the time a new baby is born. Life goes on.
DeleteI love your garden. Don't you love the sound doves make? They call them mourning doves, but I think the sound is more soothing than sad. Maybe sometimes we don't need words at all.
Spring makes everything easier, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI love watching bird nests. It's so much fun when they hatch and finally get big enough to fly away. Enjoy the beautiful spring!
ReplyDeleteIt's not hard to understand why the poets have often waxed lyrical about spring. It's life renewing.
ReplyDeleteI love your patio garden. What a lovely oasis to enjoy spring and listen to the birds.
ReplyDeleteI believe when you simply say I'm sorry for your loss, and if the person knows you they know you mean it, that is sufficient, and they do feel you're sincere. And when it's a loss, I'm really not sure that spring or any good weather helps. But I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteSpring brings so much hope, doesn't it? It is so difficult to think of words of consolation, but I know that when I lost a loved one, it wasn't really what the person said to me, but rather that they took the time to say it, that they let me know that they were there for me.
ReplyDelete