Three of the four children were in their Aikido class, so I buckled the baby into the jogger and went for a walk around the neighborhood.
The Dojo is located at the edge of town, in the middle of an urban orchard.
It was one of those perfect spring days: gray clouds, brilliant sunshine, rain puddles and blossoms all in harmony together.
On spring days like this, I can imagine I am one of the Narnians, coming out of my den or hole after what has seemed like an eternal winter. I repeat what the talking beast declare in The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, “Aslan is on the move!” Everywhere I look is evidence of this. All of the apple, peach and plum trees in the orchard are heavy with blossoms, the air is alive with the buzz of bees and thick with fragrance. Daffodils, and tulips add burst of color to my surrounding. Just down the road, a field has been freshly tilled. I breath in the mixture of rich, black loam and sweet, baby grass. I feel settled, calmed, hopeful. “This is what Jesus smells like.” I think. I just know. This is what life, new and untainted by the sting of death smells like. And yet, something has died in order for this to be. Winter, her reign is over, she’s been defeated. The prince has come and breathed life into the earth and trees. The windows have been thrown open, and the stale, old air is stirred. The soil has split and colors have poured out. The thick, rough bark has cracked and delicate petals have burst forth. The doors of the kingdom are open, and the birds have come home. The rivers and ponds have melted and a choir of frogs, thousands of voices deep, rejoice. It's a foretaste of Heaven, a reminder earth side that our King is coming back. “Everything sad is coming untrue”~ J.R.R. Tolkien. The long, cruel reign of the ruler of darkness and winter has an end.