Winter Survivors and Thorny Roses

What survived in your yard and garden this past winter? Have you been out to see what is what? Our winter was fairly mild for these parts this year, yet somehow it has seemed like one of the longest winters I remember experiencing. And I am pretty clear as to why that is, as I expect you know also - the unspoken, unexpressed grief, pain, anger and frustration of this past year has taken its toll on all of us. Of course, this spring feels that much sweeter as I don my work gloves, grab the pruners and head out to this unruly yard of mine! I feel like we have been in a spiritual war, fighting for our Hearts and Souls as we uplevel our frequencies and live from Truth and Love. Now it is time to reclaim our natural, divine connection to Mother Earth.

Yesterday was really my first day out this spring, so I decided to spend some time figuring out how to prune roses which this yard I now am guardian to has plenty of – something I definitely have not had an affinity to or a desire to grow before now (even though I have always appreciated the beauty and especially the scents of 'real' roses). Those thorns turned me off and I was under the impression they are quite needy and high maintenance, which of course is NOT in my reality. Needless to say I really do not know what I am doing, so these darling rose bushes will have to talk to me, nurture my rose wisdom and share very clearly what they need to survive and thrive.

So, off I went – snip, snip, snip! Performing acrobatic moves to avoid the thorny branches reaching into my leggings and drawing blood. It is like an initiation into what I am discovering is the unruly life of roses! Aha! One must be deferent to these plants and approach them with respect and stealth, hoping they won’t notice I am there. I figure it is a blood-sister thing – do you remember being a child and making a small cut into your finger and your friend’s, rubbing your fingers together and sharing the same blood? Then we would profess to love and be loyal to our friendship (or sister/brotherhood!) as long as we lived and each others’ blood flowed in our veins…. This is what I am seeing happen with these roses - blood has been drawn and sap has flowed - we are as one now!

I have discovered that being unruly does not mean that I am rough and tough, in fact apparently the opposite is true. My tender heart, when it sees even the smallest inkling of life in these rose bushes (and actually all plants) means that it cannot bring itself to cut that potentiality away. Of course, I probably waited a week or two too long, so the delicate little buds are already pushing themselves through, showing their desire to be bountiful and beautiful, sharing their lovely nature with us. What a dilemma! I have heard experts say that I must be ‘brutal’ and not listen to the whimpers and screams of the plants as I chop down their tender babies. Well, I say to heck with it! Maybe my roses will be a bit sparse and dangly, but each little bud will have the chance to sing its own individual song.

I decide to see what else may be peeking its head out to test the waters…. As I move through my garden and yard, I glimpse underneath dead leaves from last year (left for the nutrition and warmth) to see what is sprouting up. And lo and behold! I do discover life hither and thither. This is the best part of spring – the first breath of life returning, sap flowing, green things poking through, birds singing love songs – life wins again!

What do I see? Oh yes, I remember there being some kind of crocuses coming up last year – it looks like they have spread about more, filling in the blanks as the green stems shine through.

And over there is the Yucca plant, beginning to perk up next to some of those rose bushes that are still tasting my sweet blood. And of course the rhubarb is peeking its red little heads through the soil. And guess what!

The arugula made it through the whole winter! I stoop down, pick some and and munch contentedly as I continue my search for more signs that all is well in this world of mine.

Yarrow is bursting forth with renewed vigor this year, the columbine is daring to show its greenery

and begin anew,

the rosemary still slightly

green and stretching

itself searching for sunshine

And of course the mint is showing its resilence, persistence and tastiness! And let's not forget these little starving 'chicks and hens' - this year I resolve to pay them more heed - they are in an awkward place easy to forget to water.

And my oh my - another rose bush! This one appeared last year through the gravel walkway in the vegetable garden! So, I guess they are resilient little buggers after all. I prune it back and see the swelling of promised life on her stems. She is a beautiful little rosebush, gifting us with deep red flowers throughout the summer last year with the sweetest smell! And in another spot there is a mostly dead looking, well hidden rosebush that has been overrun by the lavender, so since it is iffy whether it will make it, I cross my fingers, dig it up and put it in its own special spot in direct sun, talking and encouraging it to grow into its own unique expression of life.

Some plants survive many winters, others live only for a season, spreading their seeds and dying quickly, some live for a couple of years then pack it in. We humans are not much different than plants are we? If you could be a plant, what would you be?

With all this life showing up, there is a stirring within my soul, a part of me that has been laying dormant for a year, that twinkiling of hope, resilience and life renewing itself. This stirring invigorates at the same time as there is this urge to shut it down as it makes me feel all that life offers ever so deeply, fear wanting to take its grip and avoid the incredible freedom of being alive! But I am committed to my soul, my spirit and my heart, and especially to the Freedom that begins within. This is the moment to allow the stirrings, to feel the feelings, to not hold onto any of it - let it move through and ride the wave of the infinite creations of Love.

Maybe we can choose to live our lives like roses. Stand strong, keep your boundaries intact and your energy field clean of others (thorns should work!), bloom beautiful flowers just for the sake of Beauty, prune out any unnecessary people and items in your surroundings, live impeccably to your own divine nature and be unapologetically YOU.