Spring Reflections

Spring… how I love it. The days are getting longer and warmer and the air remains fresh and redolent with new life.  The forest and the fields are coming alive with wild herbs and flowers. Together we are learning which herbs we can eat and which flowers we can pick for Mama.  The birds are back in town. The noisy crows are plaguing a stork as he swoops in looking for a tasty frog. The stork defiantly answers back in a startling new voice. Perhaps the frogs have engaged the crows to protect them!

And the children, they are equally a blaze with new life and creativity. Spring fever has infected them all, and me too! Voices are loud and energy is high. We won’t be seeing any deer today! Never mind, there is plenty else to do. The children climb trees and challenge each other to duels with sticks as long and powerful as lightsabers. On the way to the forest they rescue worms from potential demise under the heavy wheels of a rare oncoming car.   They climb a steep and challenging hill, some triumphantly for the for the first time.

On top they build fairy houses, tucking the baby fairies into their walnut shell cradles and gently covering them with a soft feather found on the jungle path.  Some sing silly songs about dwarfs and recount exciting tales over snack time. Before we know it, our time together is coming to a close and we must return to the farm.

Together the children collect treasures and once back at the farm, present offerings to our friend the dragon whose taken up residence behind the main farm house. under the shelter of a forsythia in bloom.  A few flowers, shells, and stones, of course, are saved for Mama, Papa, Grandma, Gramps or perhaps a younger sibling.

And Tatjana and I hardly have to say a word… We just stand back and smile with delight at each other as the kids do their wonderful thing We are both awash in the magic and convinced we have the best job in the world. Most of these kids have been together in nature since the beginning of the school year last August and have fostered a real sense of community and mutual understanding, not only with each other but with the natural world.

And every Spring new children join us for the first time. We welcome them with open arms and open hearts. These new kids are nearly always receptive to the positive group vibration we have been cultivating  and have no trouble diving into our magical world.

And today is but the first of April, we will have many more such wonderful days before the year is done!  We are  happy.