I love this time of year when the mountains are changing their clothes…taking off the drab browns and grays of winter and putting on the multidimensional greens of spring. As I drive along the back roads, which are most roads around where I live, the changes are evident. Pollen is thick, the breeze is still cool, and the mountain has its new wardrobe of emeralds and jades about half way up. One of my favorite things about this time of year is the woods, which go on for miles around me. I can gaze from the road into the forest and see the seasonal transition right in front of my eyes.
If I do this in the winter, I see the brown trunks and branches standing upright like giant toothpicks that have been randomly spilled along the roadways. In summer, I cannot see the trunks or the branches because the leaves are center stage. But now, when I take a minute to look, I see both the trunks and branches as well as thousands of tiny leaf buds unfurling. Even as I write this I can look out across my yard and see tiny leaves of all shades playing in the wind on this lovely afternoon.
The effect of this momentary hybrid of winter/spring, is stunning to look at. It is an impressionist feel, as if Monet has come and painted the forests full of light. The tiny leaflets seem to lift their little faces to the sunlight, drinking in the fuel it takes to make the change of clothes possible. The trunks and branches that have seemed so drab all winter now provide a sharp contrast to the pastel and luminous greens. Add to that scene the sprinkle of the dogwoods just opening and it is just beautiful. Textures abound which adds depth and dimension to the woods that you cannot see any other time of year.
It is the blending of the old, steadfast, and stalwart, with the fresh, young, and new life just beginning. The harmony of colors, shapes, light and shadow is a masterpiece that you will miss if you don’t open your eyes and look. Change is a glorious thing. Once again I am inspired by the smallest of details and I thank God for giving me the eyes to SEE.