Bouncing Back!
Where I live in the Ozarks, we do not yet have greening trees, but we do have bursting daffodils! Nature is determined to do her ancient dance.
It has been a long winter for me. February’s icy presence filled our air, and more than once, I caught myself half-mumbling a song I’ve always loved—Amazing Grace. Often, though, I felt anything but amazing.
Many of my friends know that I have a soft spot for the strugglers of this world—that means the anxious girl in church, the sad man sitting on the corner with a sign, the daffodils weighed down by snow. I notice. I think about them long after I see the situation.
It’s mid-March, 2022. Time is blowing away in the wind.
I, too, have been weighed down. I have not seen one of my sons and his family in two years because of where they live and covid concerns. My husband and son have now purchased me a plane ticket! It feels like sunshine!
We will not be able to recover the last two years, but I am determined to do all I can to bounce back! You know, it’s somewhat like we feel after the loss of a loved one. (It takes months and years after losing a loved one. Actually, life is never the same, but we grieve it and reinvent our lives and go on as best we can…or we don’t….)
The daffodils are a great encourager for me. I want to bounce back to whatever degree I can.
What will my bounce-back look like? I’m already working on that. I’m doing the simple things like laundry and dishes. (Somehow these things anchor me.) I talk to myself about what I see and what I cannot see. I say thank you to God. (I know who is still in charge.) Third, I try to help someone every day or ask someone to help me. Asking for help for myself may actually be a little harder for me than making that phone call, saying that prayer, or baking that lovely bread for someone else.
It doesn’t matter if anyone notices what I’m doing. What matters is my believing, putting God first and doing for other people. That combination has always blessed me. I think it always will. (That’s what the daffodils are doing, too—I think it’s hard work for them to push their way up out of the ground, to stand in the sun and unfold, then to take whatever weather comes their way. They are bouncing back.)
God first, others second. I was taught this as a child. If you want to confirm it, check Matthew 23: 34-40.
Thank you for being attentive sparrows. You bless me by being.
May the Lord God bless you,
Pat Durmon
Daffodils by the White River, mid-March 2022. Photograph by Pat Durmon.
Books by Pat Durmon
Pat, you make the best zucchini bread! I will always treasure the memory of my first bite of that warm deliciousness. I chased it with some cold milk and all of it together tasted like healing peace. Love you! And thanks for sharing your recipe ❤