“March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb.”

The Lion and The Lamb

My March Lion was a particularly fierce one this year and it was completely unrelated to the weather. I don’t remember the weather. With a ferocious roar, the month began with the sudden loss of my beloved sister. Her death left a hole in the middle of a large and loving family and she will be forever missed. My lion continued its looming stalk as the month wore on. Another pounce was on the horizon. This time my March lion came for our family dog. Sully was a longtime loyal friend who made us laugh and we loved him. This damned lion was toying with me and I was about to curse this whole month of March to hell.

Then in these last two days of March, The Lamb appeared. The lamb came in the form of warm spring weather that has brought my spring garden to life. Perhaps this spring is more surprising  and delightful because it is our first spring in our new old house. We moved into our 225 year old house last summer. The gardens were well-tended and established. The plantings were plentiful and varied and fortunately, nothing too fussy. Late into the fall, we enjoyed the fruits of someone else’s labor in the form of flowering irises, lilies, hostas, ornamental grasses and more. Throughout the winter we stayed inside and didn’t think much about the gardens.

Spring has revealed a treasure trove of surprisingly beautiful blooms in some unexpected places. There is a stand of trees lining the back edge of our property. It looks like someone may have used part of it as their personal dump for yard waste. There is no garbage but it is a bit of an eyesore. Add it to the list of outdoor chores. But wait, maybe not. Under the leaf litter and broken tree limbs an embarrassment of daffodils has bloomed. There are hundreds of yellow, white and orange blooms showing off to no one.  I can’t help but wonder how, when and why those bulbs were planted in a place where I am the only one who will see them. I am so grateful for this brilliant surprise.

Likewise for the sprays of leucojum vernum or Spring Snowflake bursting up from the roadside in front of our house. Thank you to the phantom gardener who seemingly tossed unwanted bulbs along our country road. You have surprised and delighted me.

Spring is always a time of renewal and emergence but this year I think I am feeling it more than ever. I need this first spring in an unfamiliar garden. I need the unexpected surprises of beauty. That is where the healing is waiting for me. Thank you to the phantom gardener and thank you to my March lamb for helping me find the daffodils.