April Showers Bring May Flowers

“Snow in mid-April makes you desperate”

These well-spoken words were uttered by the one and only Garrison Keillor in his Lake Wobegan monologue in last Saturday. The little town where I lay my head has seen snow showers twice this past week. In the previous two weeks, the sun shined brightly and the weather showed signs of warmth. People in the town were making their summer plans; busy with their spring cleaning; and excited about the beauty that spring will bring. This new burst of winter weather is frustrating us all and desperation is setting in.

I am desperate to put the inferno away for a few months.
I am desperate to shed the winter layers.
I am desperate for winter to end and spring to arrive.

As winter drags on, things seem stuck in the “same-old.” All around me, other volunteers are talking about how pretty their sites look with the spring flowers and how enjoyable they are finding the weather. At a much higher altitude than they, I am losing patience with this seemingly endless cycle of winter but also know that winter will eventually turn into spring. Before I know it, spring will have become summer, and then harvest season and autumn will arrive in no time; and then it is time for winter again. In my 23rd year on Earth, the cycle will continue, just as it has for the past 22. But I am in a new place and can’t help but harbor doubts. It is in the well-intentioned metaphors/quotes/proverbs that I find comfort…the gold that awaits at the end of the rainbow; it is the journey not the destination that counts; and perhaps, the most important, April showers bring May flowers.