I don't normally read the news at breakfast, but I did this morning. There was plenty of it, mostly distressing. On one hand, it seems more than a bit trivial to show you pictures of flowers blooming in my yard. On the other hand, while I am not a rose colored glasses kinda gal (when something just plain sucks I definitely admit it), but I do believe in acknowledging the positive. And sometimes you just have to look a little harder for it and sometimes it isn't as impressive as you'd like. The day after my Dad died, my brother commented to me about how it seems just wrong that the sun could be shining and the weather could be so nice. In the depths of despair, he still saw that. A week later, when we were getting things set for my Dad's memorial service, we were able to go out into my parent's yard and pick beautiful blue and white hydrangeas. A yard that my Dad had spread half-composted compost on for so many years - a childhood memory is seeing eggshells in the flowerbeds.
And on this May Day, there are many such contrasts - people who are protesting to be allowed to work and people that want to stay home out of fear for their health and safety, people that are on the frontlines of the disease seeing its affects every day and people that still seem to think it isn't really a concern, safety precautions or draconian enforcement, beautiful Spring weather that can only be experienced by viewing through a window.
My family has been lucky. My husband is legally allowed to work today. We are healthy. My daughter is running free in our green backyard, filled with the sights and sounds of Spring. I am sitting inside right now because I choose to. Later today I will go to the barn and watch my daughter ride her new pony. I am one of the lucky ones in this world today and I am very thankful. And so I will show you the pictures of my flowers. Because they are pretty, because they are signs of life, because maybe they will make you smile. And that is not trivial.