Rev. Diane Rollert, April 14, 2019

Spirit of Life,
This day is bright and full
of long awaited promise.
The spring that was proclaimed
on the calendar weeks ago
has made its first appearance,
and we are finally touched by warmth.

Out of the dark cold winter,
we emerge
after a long hibernation,
creatures blinking
and adjusting our eyes
to the brightness of the sun.

.Each day we live
with vulnerability and grace,
an ongoing dance
between winter and spring,
warmth and cold,
darkness and light.

In the passages of our lives,
we encounter joy,
commitment,
hope,
the beauty that is there
in the birth of a child,
in the marriage of honest love,
in the final closure of a life well lived.

Our lives can be so full
and yet so fragile,
our hearts easily broken,
our regrets weighing too heavily upon us,
our sorrows and anxieties so sharp
that they steal our breath.

Yet grace is there,
waiting,
when we have others to walk with us,
in those moments of passage,
when we find strength
in facing our vulnerabilities,
when laughter rises to meet our tears,
when regret opens the door
to a new way forward,
when spring finally rises green
out of cold dark earth.

For this beautiful day,
for all the passages in our lives,
for the many companions who sit beside us
in this quiet time,
may we give thanks.

This is where transformation begins.
Amen.