At the end of winter

 

Today started out looking beautiful but as the day went on it got colder and drearier.

It may even snow tomorrow.

And the war in Gaza drags on.

My dear ones in Israel share their worries and their angst. We, all of us, worry together.

 My dear ones share words and photos. We are together despite being on opposite sides of the ocean.

And despite the actual gloom of both the weather and my mood.

There are signs of hope. The bulbs my neighbors and I planted in the bitter cold of the autumn have begun to sprout. The ivy we planted in the spring survived the winter and has begun sending out new leaves.

Perhaps because I was part of the planting team this year, seeing these signs of new growth has felt like something spiritual.

Things may be gloomy at the moment

but perhaps they will improve.