Have Faith! Spring Will Come…

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 

Late February always feels to me like the bottom of winter, some existential nadir of ice and cold not willing to release us from its grip.

I learned decades ago about Seasonal Affective Disorder and have had a SAD lamp on my desk since 2002. Like the Siberian hamsters that served as the animal model for SAD research, I would prefer to sleep, eat a high fat diet and avoid social interaction until spring. But, alas, I am part of this complex social experiment called “America” and that is not to be.

Scanning my world for signs of the coming spring is one of my coping strategies. My brain has a vibrant subroutine that includes noticing the exact position of the sun as it peeks over the horizon at dawn. Loyal Spouse enjoys noting the exact lengthening of each day; at this time of year we gain about 60 seconds of daylight each day.

My houseplants, many of which are tropical, our three reptiles, and our five dogs and cats, all get my seasonal “once over” during my morning rounds. Somedays I feel like Noah, making sure all the passengers on the ark will make it through to spring.

And outside, the beautiful Elk River is nearly frozen over, with hundreds of geese, ducks and birds of prey vying for a spot at the strip of open water in the channel. This is where they hunt for breakfast and socialize all day long. They are loud, it is the sound of life.

In my garden, all is brambles and thatch, the ghosts of last summer’s glory. But in a sunny corner, bulbs are inching bright green shoots towards the morning sky. It is 7 degrees, and I have repeatedly covered them with top soil, trying to slow their growth. And yet they persist. Something coded in their DNA knows the days are lengthening, that warm breezes come early on the Chesapeake and that they will bloom early, brilliant and hardy, despite all my “wisdom“ to the contrary.

I am struck that we humans are the same, encoded by our Creator for hope and change, for reaching towards light despite the dark and cold. Sometimes our faith looks like foolishness, but we know all God’s promises are true. And like the tulip bulbs, I persist.

Michele Torchia