There is always something to hear in the forest. Some days when there are few new colorful leaves or flowers to spot, I stop to listen to the many sound variations around me. Certainly, my ears are tuned to pick out bird calls I know and enjoy. But I’m also listening for songs and chatter from my feathered friends I don’t recognize. We are on the flyway, so often there are migratory birds that stop to rest here. Yesterday, a large flock of goldfinches surprised me on my walk. They love to perch in the tree canopy and chatter for hours. In the spring, you can easily see them as the males are turning yellow. I’d love to know what they’re talking about! Sometimes a particular bird song has been silent for so long that I’m startled by it. To my delight, a flock of elegant cedar waxwings bathed in a woodland puddle chatting to each other.
On my walks, there are two spots along the greenway where I check to see if spring has arrived. One has a beautiful Japanese magnolia that blooms right after the cherry trees. When there isn’t a lot of rain, it stays beautiful for a week. The buds in February are tightly closed. But a few sun-filled days and they slowly begin to break open. Then, it is only a matter of days before the pink blossoms appear. Even the lawn is beautiful with petals that have fallen in the breeze.
The other place on my walk where I look for signs of spring is in the woods by a downed tree. There, hidden away, are several trillium plants. These plants are endangered so I usually look for them when no one is around. A week ago, only brown leaves covered the spot where it blooms, even when I peeked below the leaf cover. But several warm sunny days and the mottled green leaves have broken through the leaf litter and the flower buds are now showing. Soon the buds will open, and the velvety chocolate brown flowers will appear.
Like the changing seasons, we want to run ahead or lag behind God, depending on what He asks of us. He knows exactly when the magnolia will bloom. The magnolia doesn’t question the timing in any of this. It just goes with God’s plan. But we question God’s timing, thinking our plans are better. We forget the Lord will have His way. And if we listen, He will tell us when to move ahead or rest and wait.
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”
Proverbs 19:20 ESV
