Out of the Storms and Darkness
by  Eddy Robey

 

With Pesach on the way, this is a month when all are grateful for miracles in the desert, but here in Southern California, we are having a holiday season which is lovely beyond any I have known. The world is full of wonders, and it only takes a step outdoors to enjoy them.

 No, no, not the expensive landscape work in Beverly Hills. All the beauty one can imagine is right here on the very ordinary middle-class block where I live. Just take the tiny strip of lawn which is between our sidewalk and the street.

 Ordinarily, this is tidy, but unremarkable, yet now, it is a miniature field of treasures. You see, this year wehave been blessed with more rain than at any time in over a century, and although the gardener is conscientious about weekly mowing, he cannot contain the Earth's exuberance. There are four different sorts of tiny wildflowers blooming amidst the Bermuda grass, less than an inch above the soil.

 
The beauty is everywhere around. Yesterday, I was on the corner enjoying the journey of a butterfly over my neighbor's flower bed. In only a moment, it became an airborne parade. For almost half an hour, I stood and watched a dainty migration of "Painted Ladies" go by. They swooped and swirled just over my head, spreading gladness in the sky for all to see.

 The trees are doing all they can to add a contribution. Each breeze carries a faint perfume of citrus blossoms from the small stand in a neighbor's yard, and I've already counted six buds on the new magnolia next door, just waiting their turn to make Maytime sweet.

 Not everyone is so glad about the rain as I, although our drought has been long and difficult. Local newscasts have dwelt only upon the auto accidents and mudslides, rather than also showing film of green hillsides which had been brown for so many years.

 Of course, most folks do not have my special vision of all this magnificence. Last week, I bought a very snazzy pair of eyeglasses, and everything looks particularly grand through their lenses. Why are those lenses special? They are the first ones I've worn since having surgery for cataracts. A few months ago, I was completely blind in one eye, and almost so in the other.

 What a blessing those cataracts were, for they taught me to appreciate the glories which can come after storms and darkness. This is truly a month of deliverance for us all, but I have learned a special lesson about miracles in the desert, and will celebrate with extra joy for all the years to come.

Copyright 2002 Eddy Robey

Eddy Robey M.A.
Author of  It's Not Just Chicken Soup        Like all
Jewish mothers, I feed everyone in sight, and have been at work in the
kitchen for over 20 years. Correspondence should be addressed to
<eddyrobey@aol.com> and will be read as soon as the dishes are done. You can
find many of my recipes online at the  Gantseh Megillah . Please feel free
to forward this to anyone you think would enjoy it, as long as you include my
copyright.