Ireland’s Covid cases have skyrocketed in the last few days and we are headed for a heavy lockdown – due to be announced in a few minutes.
The world feels shaky and fragile in so many ways but today I glimpsed hope under the bare Hydrangea by our garden gate. A clump of darling snowdrops smiled up at me with their fresh green leaves and tiny buds showing white. If ever there was a brave, resilient flower, the snowdrop has to be the winner. Just seeing this beauty emerging from the sodden ground made everything seem so much brighter and it was as if hope had come to rescue a bad situation. Nature has such a precious heart.
SNOWDROPS
Do you know what I was, how I lived? You know
what despair is; then
winter should have meaning for you.
I did not expect to survive,
earth suppressing me. I didn’t expect
to waken again, to feel
in damp earth my body
able to respond again, remembering
after so long how to open again
in the cold light
of earliest spring–
afraid, yes, but among you again
crying yes risk joy
in the raw wind of the new world.
Louise Gluck
SOCIAL BRIDGE ~ Jean Tubridy connecting with you from Ireland 
Lovely and uplifting–thank you for your shared optimism. It has gone way beyond out of control over here, no leadership makes it worsen. Our county cases are increased again with more deaths and still denial at all levels. I noted the jonquil leaves are emerging this week here.
“Hope Springs Eternal”
Absolutely! I was thinking that as I was writing the piece.
No leadership must be absolutely horrific.
As for ‘jonquil’ leaves, are we talking our narcissus/i, I wonder?
A jonquil is a member of the narcissus family. The hillside is covered with them in spring. There are yellow ones and white ones here.
We’re on the same page so.
Beautiful snowdrops, a symbol of hope ,💜
One of the strongest of such symbols, methinks.
How is the middle son tonight?
He is doing okay 🤞like the snowdrops 💜
I’m so glad to hear it. If he’s like a snowdrop, he’ll be the finest. 💚🌿💚
Thank you Jean 🤞🤞🤞💜💜
💚💚
We’re moving into the highest tier at midnight, but yesterday I also saw new shoots, I think they may have been early daffodils.
I guess we’re better suited than most for this kind of isolation as we have nature and writing to keep us nourished.
Yes, I have a few daffodils and early tulips peeping through as well. Such a thrill!
Stay safe.
So sorry, hoping you come out of this unscathed. 🤗
Ah thanks, Marland.
I’m very solitary by nature so have hardly had contact with anyone beyond hubby and son for months in real terms. Hopefully that will keep me healthy. Getting the virus is the bit that scares me and I think it is far better to have a very hard lockdown now as things are gone way out of control from our very good situation not so long ago at all.
How are you doing there?
Beautiful words..Plants also have to endure a harshness with no promises only a hopefulness of surviving the cold cruel Winter and emerging when the time and temps allow it too. It’s runs hand in hand with what we are experiencing some will make it while others will not . We too have a promise of hope that this too will pass so we must also weather the storm…
I guess we have no option but to do our very best to do all the right things to stay well and unscathed.