Thoughts of Twine on this May Eve

Little baby green leaves are sprouting on all of the trees. The Rhododendron Bush is in full bloom out front, and the first of my tulips opened up yesterday. Spring is really here. As I look out my kitchen window, birds are back to feed at our squirrel resistant feeder that we purchased last year. Bruce would get so irritated at the squirrels when they would spill out the contents of an entire feeder. So, our investment in the squirrel proof one has paid off. Plus, our neighbor across the street has taken it upon himself to become the local squirrel feeder. He sets of trays of corn for them. They love it and we loved it! Now I love it.

There are many spring projects waiting for me to do. My birdbath needs a new coat of paint in it's interior. I still have raking, trimming of bushes and the garden area needs to be cleared off. Friday afternoon, I wrangled Lance to help me get down the lawn chairs that Bruce had hung up in the garage rafters last fall. As Lancer (as Bruce called him) was reaching up to lift them off of the bike hooks, he noticed the yellow twine that was tied around the rafters and the chairs. "Whose method was this?" he teased me...knowing full well it was his dad's secondary precaution to ensure the chairs remained safe above our heads through the winter. "This little twine nonsense is going to be no more!" he said. We worked together, me on the ground and he on the stepladder, with a scissors to cut the twine. Soon, all chairs were down. I had him pull a couple of other items out of the rafters to discard. An old box that said children's books caught his eye. We pulled it down and looked through the contents. A saver of books I am, therefore..these gems couldn't be thrown away! But, many will be given to the local charity store uptown. And some of my favorites will be held onto and put back on my bookcase to be read to this new baby within the year!

That twine has such memories. It was a Christmas gift years ago from Bruce's brother, Mike. Mike has a unique farmer-like life-style quality about him. He finds uses for all sorts of things and is the ultimate in saving this, that and the other. As he would say, "you never know when you might find a use for it". This ball of twine has come in handy many times over and over again. We haven't even used 1/8 of it yet! It sits in it's own pail out in the garage. When Bruce received it all wrapped up that Christmas, amoungst the laughter of family, little did we know that after all of this time, I would find a reason remember or write about it. We both found many uses for it over the years. From tying down the trunk down, tying up tomato plants, wrapping it around pieces of carpets, etc., it always came in handy. Bruce was overly cautious at times to make sure things were more secure than they needed to be. And that was what Lance was commenting on as he struggled to release the chairs from their perches. This twine and the memories associated with it really does represent the quirks that Bruce had that now seem so endearing to me. I am going to clean out the garage. There is a lot of stuff that will be thrown, sold and discarded. But, the twine will remain.

I attended church this morning times two! As a traditional Lutheran, it was a great celebration of Springtime. A local farmer brought in a lamb for the childen to pet. I too, wanted to stand up and go feel this creature of God. The message was how God knows our voices, just as a shephard knows the sounds of each one of his sheep. By the sounds we make, sheep make, our shephard knows when we are in need. He knows when we are content, safe, happy and loved. I liked the analogy. Then off I went to be a guest at the local Unitarian Universalist church with a friend. The celebration was of May Day. The Spring festivals that are part of many ancient traditions to herald in spring, the fertile soil and honor our God was celebrated. We did a May Pole Dance. The message was the same, yet different. I felt a part of both services.

So, now I am going to go out and pull on the lawn mower rope and see if I can get it started. Yes, I could wait and my children could do this for me, but I am capable and willing. Plus, I love being outside. I love Spring and nature. The birds will give me a concert as I work. Nothing is easy. I have been struggling these past few days with big issues that rest on my heart. Should I or shouldn't I continue doing some of the things that have become part of my life? Maybe while I am out communing in my yard with nature, some of the answers will be made clear. If not, I am willing to let them settle out on their own in their own time. Trusting that God's ear is listening to this faithful servant. But for now,I need to hear the birds sing, see the blue skies and feel the warmth of the sun. Enjoy this day. Deb