In the America of today, it may be difficult to remember to do this, but I still celebrate the arrival of Spring and the month of April. It has always been that intensely anticipated pivotal turning point in the seasons where Winter is finally vanquished, and the green shoots of the tulips and early petals of the forsythia plants alert our souls to the renewal of creation.
There is no question that, this time around, the arrival of April comes with some bitter medicine to swallow. Our nation and our world have been turned upside down with fear and dread at the outbreak of a vicious viral crisis. As April arrives, every human being on Earth is affected in one way or another. Yet, the lure of warm weather and the sweet scent of flowers and new-mown grass has, at the very least, reminded us that all things, both pleasant and disturbing, continue on their relentless path of the cycles and rhythms of life.
I was reminded of a song from Paul Simon, of Simon and Garfunkel, called April Come She Will. It is based on an old English nursery rhyme called The Cuckoo. For those of a certain age, myself included, you may remember this song from their collection: The Sounds of Silence, released in 1966. I have included the lyrics of the song as well as a video from YouTube of the duo performing the song live in Central Park in New York City. In the USA, this city has been the most seriously attacked by this virus, and perhaps needs, more than most places, to stay strong and look ahead with the fundamental hope and resilience of the American spirit. We have all been forced to step back, think twice, take care of one another, remember our shared heritage and embrace the effort required to reclaim our lives from day to day.
April, come she will
When streams are ripe and swelled with rain.
May, she will stay
Resting in my arms again.
June she’ll change her tune
In restless walks she’ll prowl the night.
July, she will fly
And give no warning to her flight.
August, die she must
The autumn winds blow chilly and cold.
September, I remember
A love once new has now grown old.
Denny's America 
John…thanks for your thoughtful comments and passing the post along to your readers! You’re right, the signals right in our own front yards can help just a little bit more to ease the fears and concerns of the present day crisis. We do not minimize the true nature of what we’re going through, but rather we help ourselves by focusing some of our attention on the renewal happening around us. A gentle reminder that, as the late George Harrison once told us, All Things Must Pass. DH
LikeLike
Reblogged this on John's Consciousness and commented:
A much needed perspective on our current circumstances…
LikeLike
Denny,
We are all reeling from the events of the past month or so, and it is sobering for many of us to recognize the seriousness of our global predicament currently, but even as we take on the task of dealing as best we can with the challenges presented by our circumstances, you have emphasized a very important perspective that isn’t getting nearly enough attention in the available sources for information in our modern media.
There are clearly people and places around the world now that are experiencing very difficult situations, and while acknowledging those stories is an important part of a balanced approach, it is equally important to recognize that there are numerous stories of heroic efforts by our frontline medical professionals, of people helping those in need, of people looking for ways to ease the burdens for all of us through many different efforts in finding supplies, and of groups and agencies cooperating to fight back against the tide of illness and suffering.
Your inclination to include the important perspective of the renewal of life taking place all around us, and the realistic assessment of how the Winter has been vanquished, does urge us to consider the blossoming of Spring:
Right in our own front yard, is the reminder that new life springs from the cyclical tides of the seasons, and how, in spite of the dead leaves left over from the previous seasons, we can take solace in the knowledge that we will re-emerge eventually on the other side of all this, and that the resilience of the American spirit is our heritage, and will feed our fundamental hope for eventual recovery.
Thanks so much for reminding us of these important elements of our way of life….John H.
LikeLike