In recent past posts, I’ve reflected upon nature and the arrival of spring. This season of renewal has captured my private thoughts as well. The physical, imaginative, and spiritual worlds seem refreshed and expectant. 

Spring officially arrived at my wife’s and my shared household this past weekend with an annual ritual: unwrapping our fig tree.

Each autumn I delicately prune the fig tree and lovingly wrap it to protect it from the ravages of winter. When nighttime temperatures sit comfortably and consistently above freezing, I peel away the layers of burlap, chicken wire, and plastic and pray that the fig tree survives for another year.

One day after unwrapping the fig tree, I spotted a green bud on the branch. My heart leapt up.