Glimmer #30 The Smell of Hope

FEBRUARY 27, 2024 / MOMSHIEB / EDIT

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Although it is only the last week of February, today we felt a thrilling jolt of spring. Today it was perfectly sunny, with a light blue sky arching over us. Today the wind was gentle, and when it blew, it brought the scent of mud, wet leaves, and warming pavement.

Today I pulled away some of the dead leaves and fallen flower stalks that I leave in my garden every fall. The top layers were warm to the touch, oak leaves breaking apart in my fingers. As I gently lifted them, I saw the almost shocking green of new shoots. Tulips! Daffodils! Irises! Tender new beginning just poking out of the slowly thawing soil.

I took my grandson Max outside this afternoon to enjoy the sunshine. We jumped on the icy patches along the driveway, chanting “Snow, snow, time to go!” We roamed through the edge of the woods, crunching on the dead branches that fell during the winter. Max climbed the dwindling snowbanks and slid down in his boots. His cheeks turned the glorious pink of a healthy child playing in the chill spring air.

Max stood on the stump of a pine that was cut down last spring. “Nonni,” he said seriously. “This is a concert. Go get a chair.”

I did. I sat in the lawn chair on my driveway, with the warm sun on my face. My little…