The beauty of spring

In NC, the dogwood trees, azaleas and all the spring flowers are in full bloom. We have had unusually warm temperatures for the past few weeks so it seems almost overnight the outdoors are ablaze with color. Of course with the beautiful blossoms comes the pollen which brings the headaches, watery eyes, runny noses.............ah, the allergies of spring!

But, as often happens, Mother Nature has decided to now give us the "winter" we haven't had. With the temperatures falling into the 20's at night, most likely the tender new growth and blooms won't be beautiful for long. Easter morning is expected to be one of the coldest so far and it is all likely to freeze.

I suppose the message in all this is - - even through watery eyes, take in the beauty of nature around you whenever it happens, for however briefly it may appear. It would be a shame to let such glory pass unnoticed or unappreciated.

Anam Cara

Anam Cara is a beautiful little piece by music2work2 that makes you feel good. The piano is the only voice in this session, which has an upbeat, uplifting tempo. The clear notes of the piano bring to mind simplicity and even a sense of purity.

Having traveled over the past several days, spending a lot of time driving in a mixture of wintry precipitation, listening to Anam Cara, the imagery that now comes to mind is that of the snowflakes as they danced through the air. Sometimes large flakes, sometimes tiny ones, they fell softly, gently, making everything around look pure, clean and bright. The snow was so beautiful to look at, but unlike the pleasant feeling I get when listening to Anam Cara, driving in the snow was treacherous and anxiety producing.