One of my neighbors has the most beautiful spread of daffodils lining the entire length of his front yard near the curb, probably 40 feet long and 6 feet deep.  Every day on my way to and from work, as I pass by the beautiful flowers, I am simultaneously reminded of William Wordsworth's poem I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud and the Natalie Sleeth anthem Hymn of Promise.

With the unseasonably warm weather of late, the flowers came early this year.  Though a light frost is predicted in the days ahead, reminding us that we are still in the cold of winter, these blooms are a wonderful reminder of a spring that waits to be, offering hope to you and me!  
 
Hymn of Promise
 
In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise:  butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter, there's a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
 
There's a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There's a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
 
In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

Prayer for Today

Creator God, we thank you for this day that you have made!  We thank you that we do not wander lonely as a cloud, but that you walk with us each step of each day.  Help us to delight in the daffodils of our Lenten journeys and to rejoice in the hope of butterflies freed at Easter.  Amen.