sudden burst of brightness

“The Time of the Lilacs” by Sophie Gengembre Anderson

The explosion of May-blossom, sunlight, and burgeoning life needs expression at this time, when workday commonplaces can be thrown to the four winds and the bright joy of living can bubble up within us with natural ecstasy. All who have waited at dawn to welcome in summer have felt the sudden burst of brightness that ignites the deep happiness of the living earth as the sun rises.
~ Caitlín Matthews
(The Celtic Spirit: Daily Meditations for the Turning Year)

Happy May Day!

19 thoughts on “sudden burst of brightness”

  1. Looking at that dreaming face… may all the young ones who has lost almost two years of natural closeness and connection their friends, take hope – that their life has been vastly different from former generations, but there may be a future for them that also may be brighter that ever before, because of all that change now – among other things, people are coming back to nature and taking hikes.They are OUT and enjoying it – as dark as it may seem,I have great hope for all that comes out of these difficult times . And you,Barbara, are one of the ligthbringers

    1. Thank you, Leelah. I only hope to reflect some of the light I see in the natural world. I always enjoyed walks in the woods and by the sea and the pandemic did get me out there much more than I ever could have imagined was possible. And I look forward to seeing how my grandchildren, in the coming years, will fold this experience into their young lives… 🌷

    1. Thank you, dearest Kathy! 🌷 Many blessings of Presence to you for this lighter half of the year. 💗

  2. That’s a beautiful painting and quote guaranteed to fill our hearts with joy that May and “the real Spring” might have finally arrived. We had Summer today Barbara – another 80+ day.

    1. Thank you, Linda! 🌷 Summer is teasing you with little samples of the warmth to come. 🙃 Every time I go outside my heart leaps with renewed joy. It was fun bringing the outdoor table and chairs up to the balcony this weekend…

      1. Yes, the weather was like a late June day again yesterday … 83 they said was the high. It was nice to give the furnace a break, though I suspect it will come on overnight as it has cooled off today with this all-day rain and expecting rain every day this week. Ugh

        1. I think our first day above 80 is probably still a long way off. A few in the 70s would be nice. Today promises to be dreary and cool, but good for the gardens. I’ll take it as long as things keep getting greener. 🙂

          1. We’ve had an ugly weather week and it will continue. At least I’ve been able to walk yesterday and today. We have hail on Friday though. It was very gray and dreary and 45 when I left on my walk. Greening up is welcome – even the dandelions with their cheery faces.

          2. Hail doesn’t sound good. 🙁 Enjoy those cheerful dandelions while waiting for the gloominess to move on… At least you’re getting out there. 🙂

    1. When I was little I was in love with the idea of secretly hanging May baskets on the neighbors’ doorknobs. 🌷

  3. Hi Barbara – I wanted to share this post from a fellow blogger. I just started following Eilene (and she now follows me as well) after someone sent me the post about her eagle studies. I thought this was interesting and I know you are interested in genealogy, as parts of her blog pertain to her research of family members, so I thought I’d share it. Perhaps you have relatives that went to California for the Gold Rush?
    https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/77246598/posts/3316813882

    1. What interesting and adventurous stories Eilene has found about her ancestors. All my ancestors stayed on the East Coast, even the Norwegian one, though most Norwegians settled in the Midwest. No big undertakings to report! 😉

      1. I thought you’d find this post interesting Barbara. It looks like Eilene has written several other stories on her ancestors when I glanced at her blog before following her. I’ve never known anyone whose family members were involved in the Gold Rush – it sure was quite the undertaking!

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