I walked in the woods this morning. I wanted to greet Spring properly. She was there, just beginning her arrival into our hemisphere, just beginning to gently push aside the cold barrenness of winter and give to us the promise of new life. The first thing I thought of on my walk into our woods was my tiny new grandson, Santiago. I imagined how fun it will be years from now to take him here, walking and discovering, new life meeting new life, what could be better?

My woods are small, only about three acres, but they are untouched. Nature does her thing here, small trees fall and provide housing for many creatures as they decompose and feed the fertile soil, birds and the wind plant saplings, families of rabbits and squirrels and birds and frogs are born and live and thrive here in this refuge where there is no threat of gunfire or traps or poison. Fireflies, dragonflies and honeybees live freely, and they help to pollinate the forest and my nearby garden. And one day, my grandson will be here to see it all, just as his dad did.

Next to the woods, is a field and our yard. The wildflowers are beginning to show off their beauty and provide nectar for my bees. The dandelions have been here for a bit, and some are displaying their stout yellow flowers. The seemingly simple dandelion provides nectar for the bees and they are the precursor for childhood wishes, for their seed “bubbles” just “ask” to be blown.

And when I look up, I see the clear blue sky and new buds against it and as I walk, I hear the rustle of something of the earth, something that scurries to get out of my way not knowing he is safe. The baby bunnies are still beneath the ground, but soon, I will catch sight of the mother bunnies in my garden, and I will, once again, understand the annoyance of Peter Rabbit and the plight of Farmer McGregor. The bluebirds will soon sail across the meadows and baby lizards will begin to bask on my wooden fence. The spring peepers are beginning to mate and if you listen, you can hear them late in the evening. St. Patrick’s Day is on the seventeenth and the Full Worm Moon will rise on the eighteenth. It is all so wondrous and astonishing, this rebirth.

These things all happen no matter what is going on in the world of humans, Mother Nature is steadfast. I find solace in knowing this, knowing that she is there yet another day, another season to share her gifts with all of us, no matter what.

Little by little like a mouse eating an elephant, I will get the early spring work done. I will paint the bee boxes, plant zinnia seeds, pot geraniums and amend the garden. As I do, I will grow stronger, both physically and spiritually. I will hear the birds and listen carefully to the sound of the new season coming in and be thankful that I am a small part of it and wish on a dandelion, that all people of the world could celebrate this new beginning.

PAM SHENSKY is a wife and mom to five.