Over the River and Through the Woods: Taking Stock of Your Loved One’s Well-being at Holiday Time
December 21, 2023 No Comments
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April showers bring May flowers… what do May flowers bring?
Answer: Pilgrims!
Perhaps you, too, have heard this little joke. I thought it was apropos because tomorrow is April 1, folks! While we have officially hit spring, you and I both know that April usually has a few tricks up its sleeve. In fact, on my first day at Willow Brook in April 2021, I was greeted by a freak snowstorm that dropped three or four inches of snow. Yes, we know the mixed bag that is Ohio spring weather.
But today I wanted to talk about how spring affects us, and how it affects our residents. I really believe that once that day arrives on the calendar that says “spring,” a mental shift occurs. Even if the weather is less-than-stellar, the hopefulness of the warmer days to come, of the sunshine on our face, is enough to pull us through. It’s a morale-booster after those dark days of winter that really do seem to make the soul weary.
For one, at least here in Ohio, most of our winter days are grey, depriving us of much-needed vitamin D, of which the sun is a natural, and preferred, source. Also, because so many people are deterred from the outdoors by inclement weather, cabin fever often begins to set in and get the best of us. We yearn for fresh air, for a warm breeze; or the smell of the rain or cut grass. We yearn for spring.
It’s no coincidence, of course, that the Christian church calendar also features a new beginning of its own at this time of year, the resurrection of Christ. We walk from the darkest day of Good Friday to the light of Easter morning. Just as the arrival of spring is a renewal symbolized by the sun, Easter is a renewal symbolized by the Son.
Our senses, and our souls, also become more attuned to beauty. This is not to say that the winter months are not beautiful; indeed, they are, but in a much less popular and recognizable way. So many of us, though, relish the sight of green shoots emerging from the soil, and the subsequent flowers that dot the landscape. The silhouette of green trees against blue sky brings deep peace. The sunshine streaming through our door – and the birds and animals alive with song and activity – not only warms our homes, but our hearts. There is no denying, it feels different. And it feels good.
On all three of our Willow Brook campuses, windows are beginning to be thrown open. Garden beds are being readied for spring planting. Our life enrichment directors have been planning, and looking forward to, outdoor activities and field trips.
Will we have to get through the crazy month of April first? Yes. But we’ll do so knowing that May is on deck, and June is in the hole. There is a rhyme and reason to this vast universe of ours. Let’s take our place in the flow, and allow ourselves to be filled with hope and joy, because spring is here.