those who seek

Yesterday did it again.  The last weekend of Christmas went out with a blazing glory of warmth and coatless rambles down a street i have not rambled upon in a couple of months.  I had to be out there to soak in my Christmas gift from heaven and soak i did. 

 But I found out that in the span of my 2 month absence from close contact with the nooks and crannies of West street,  the effusive flow of green into glorious roses and blushing hydrangeas and the towering canopy of the noble guardians of the quiet street had flown south for the winter. 

But, with the weather warming the embers of my soul, i felt equal to the challenge of seeking the beauty that had heretofore seemingly spelled itself out for me.  

And it became so real to me, what He said.  “Seek and ye shall find”.  And it was more enjoyable, in a way.  The reward of the finding was sweetened by the effort it took to seek.  I spotted a cardinal across the street and pursued it as if I was a seasoned birder (for real, that’s what they’re called).  The little scamp felt my presence and flew into the foliage of the holly trees. 

Undaunted, I waited straining my eyes for the flash of feathered scarlet amidst the copious green and i clicked away like i was possessed by the birder of Christmas past.  Behold, the reward of perseverance:

The discoveries ended not there. i took new joy from the West street inhabitants and their liking for bringing color to winter via their front doors.

I soaked in the last remnants of Christmas cheer that my fellow enthusiasts of this holy season have kept alive. 

I smiled at a quaint little backyard table for two just waiting for a romantic tete a tete between two fellow lovers of dining al fresco-complete with ivy climbing up brick and potted yellow flower plant, for just the proper ambiance.

My texas heart was aching for some flowers.  Flowers, like the stars, are dear friends of mine, and I miss them when they have sunk into their wintry dreams.  But, little did i know, i would make new friends.

 i laid on the sidewalk (knowingly)/on top of my sunglasses (unknowingly) to achieve photo on right.  

Flowers I have never seen in person met me along the way.  They are flowers that someone drew a picture of for me years ago-their delicate white heads bent toward the ground.  And with the picture was a story.  Legend had it that these flowers bent their heads in shame, because they could not weep as Jesus passed by them on His way to Calvary.  

Remembering this story and picture, i investigated further.  I didn’t actually find that tale of these little darlings, but I found another that gave me hope.  These flowers, by the way, are called Snowdrops.  I am obsessed with that name and with the flowers that bear it.  

Common Names: ~Fair Maid of February ~Emblem of Early Spring ~Maids of February ~Mary's Tapers~

A legend about the origin of the snowdrop tells us that after being expelled from the Garden of Eden, Eve sat weeping. An angel comforted her. Since the Fall, no flowers had bloomed, but snow fell ceaselessly. As the angel talked with Eve, he caught a snowflake in his hand, breathed on it, and it fell to earth as the first snowdrop. The flower bloomed and Hope was born.

It symbolises purity and hope in the language of flowers.

I’ll take Emblem of Early Spring and run away with it.  And the symbol of hope in the midst of the cold of winter-theme of the new year, much?  Providence takes the lead once again. 

It was all counted joy from there as I ended my ramble paying homage to Hope Himself.  And, speaking of Providence, after my spring of the soul saunter, I went to pick Bubba up from the airport.  As Providence would have it, he arrived an hour late.  At first I took the old grumps route.  Poor me, my plans are thrown to the winds and I have to wait at the airport forever.  I had plans to go to Mass at 5:00 and that wasn’t going to happen.  But, it was the Holy Spirit to the rescue and i realized after my initial pity party that God is in control and He will take care of everything.  I took a breath, found out via Christina that there was a 5:30 Mass at a church down the road, and then witnessed the glory of seeing both a moon rising and a sun setting at the same time.  

As I gazed at the pearly moon before me and the blazing golden glory in my rearview mirror, whatever negative feelings associated with my wait at the airport fled from the beauty so foreign to them.  

And at this Mass, I heard the best Epiphany homily of my life. I cried at God’s humility.  I cried at the realization that the stars were created from eternity with a plan that one day that one star would be in the perfect position to illuminate the hearts of 3 men whose lives were centered on finding the truth. I cried at the beauty of the perseverance of 3 Wise Men and the faith and hope that burned so ardently in their hearts that they had to leave everything to follow a star to find the Living Water that would quench their thirst forever.  And they knew Him when they saw Him. And “They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage” Matthew 2:11.  

They prostrated themselves before this tiny infant, Who was as human and as fragile as every other baby ever born.  And their thirst was quenched.  They traveled and labored just to behold His face and present Him with gifts.  All they wanted was to see Jesus and the desires of their hearts were granted.

Seek and you shall find.  Jesus had not uttered those words yet, but they already echoed in the hearts of these Magi as a tangible reality.  

And that is what we celebrate at the end of Christmas.  God made Himself small enough for us to find Him.  He did over 2,000 years ago for the Shepherds and Wise men.  He does so 2,000 years later, in the Eucharist.  

I also marvelled at how strange these events were, and how if they didn’t end with the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ, we would not have Christmas.

When Jesus was born, there were no wreaths to decorate the world for His coming.   There were no Christmas lights to pierce the dark night so that Mary and Joseph could have an easier travel experience.  The stars and moon were their guide in the darkness.  The Angels to bring the Shepherds to worship.  The Star to beckon the Wise Men.  But the rest of the world lay silent and unmoved and unaware that Heaven had come to earth.  We are moved now by the birth of this baby in the obscure town of Bethlehem, separated by thousands of miles and thousands of years, because of the Cross.  

How appropriate that at the Epiphany Mass, traditionally there is an announcement of the dates of Ash Wednesday and Easter.  He was born to die, that we might live. 

My Easter-lovin’ heart beats with wild anticipation for that Easter Vigil Mass when the Alleluias will be sung all over the earth.  As Blessed Pope John Paul II so aptly put it, we are an Easter people.  and Alleluia is our song.  

We have the Baptism of our Lord to celebrate tomorrow, and then it's back to ordinary time. But, if we have truly met Christ as the Wise Men did, we will go by a new route-one that is so unexpected and so different from what we could have imagined. It will be God's way and not ours, and it will lead us back to Him. What more could we ask for?

Here it is for the last time this season:

Merry Christmas to all!

and to all a good night!


and don't forget:
Seek and you shall find
Matthew 7:7