In the words of the late Jean Little

crocus

I feel like the ground in winter,

Hard, cold, dark, dead, unyielding.

Then hope pokes through me

Like a crocus.

-- Jean Little

If you’re feeling at all these days like the frozen ground in winter, my wish is that hope will soon come to sit alongside your fears, your sadness, your despair, your numbness, your frustrations, your panic, your disappointments.

Hope can’t banish unwelcome feelings, but it can help make them more bearable. Hope may be there inside you already and you just haven’t found it. Sometimes, to find a crocus, you have to acknowledge the dead leaves that are burying it.

Jean Little passed away on April 6. I like to think she would approve of my offering her poem at this time when so many are in need of hope — and crocuses.

crocuses

14 Comments

  1. myrnasews on April 12, 2020 at 10:29 am

    Thanks for sending me this lovely poem. Lots of love. Myrna.

    • Kathy on April 12, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      I’ve been thinking of you, Myrna, with your town going through such a tough time. Love and safe hugs to you.

  2. mitchellcatherine on April 12, 2020 at 10:40 am

    Beautiful poem and photos, Kathy. Thanks for sharing and remembering Jean Little.

    I hope you and Peter are keeping well.

    • Kathy on April 12, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      Thanks Catherine. Peter and I are keeping well and hope that you are too.

  3. marylehood on April 12, 2020 at 11:48 am

    Thank you and Happy Easter!

    • Kathy on April 12, 2020 at 1:34 pm

      Happy Easter to you too, Mary. Happy to see your name pop up here. 🙂

  4. marty.linton on April 12, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    Glorious photos and comforting words. Thank you Kathy.
    Love.

    • Kathy on April 12, 2020 at 1:31 pm

      Thanks Marty. Glad they hit the mark. Hugs to you.

  5. wendy mason on April 12, 2020 at 1:14 pm

    Grateful thanks for the inspiring images and words from Jean.

    • Kathy on April 12, 2020 at 1:33 pm

      Thinking of you Wendy, hoping you’re keeping well and not missing your wonderful children’s book department at Indigo too badly!

  6. Peggy Needham on April 13, 2020 at 10:24 am

    Thanks, Kathy, for posting the poem by Jean Little and the beautiful picture to accompany it. Love to you and Peter!

    • Kathy on April 13, 2020 at 3:11 pm

      Glad you liked them, Peggy. Our love to you too!

  7. taborstomreg on April 13, 2020 at 10:58 am

    Yes, but we need to have hope in something. We can’t just have hope in hope.

    • Kathy on April 13, 2020 at 3:35 pm

      Thanks for reading my post. I must admit to being a little puzzled that you thought I was saying let’s have hope in hope – or that Jean Little was. I imagine each person will have their own hopes for where this strange situation we’re experiencing will ultimately take us. Take care.

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