Nope. It is not a song or the sound of a baby babbling. Rather, it is an emblem of spring. Lalelele is one of my favorite foreign words. It's Romanian, and it means the tulips (For those language geeks out there, I think that one of the 'le' is the plural marker and another 'le' is added to mark the definite article).
As a final posting in my Lenten devotion, I thought that there was no better thematic title than lalelele, especially as I have seen them in their glory in the last few days about the Washington area. They are brilliant and quite surprising in their bold, colorful hues that stand out even amidst all of the other blossoming. They come as a splash of color announcing the warmer weather, the true onset of spring after months of storminess.
After forty postings to celebrate the changing of season and to ponder the murky transition into spring, I can say that the process was effective. Finding graciousness in my heart on good and bad days forced me to step back and reconsider my place. Looking through the digital archive of posts, I can see themes such as family, friends, and nature that come through over and over again. This highlights for how much I am thankful (and there are more than 40 things surely).
In another way, this exercise forced me to reckon with myself during a time of many transitions. For some reason, I seem to commonly face big decisions, get muddled in details, and burn out a bit this time every year. Perhaps it is the
frühjahrsmüdigkeit, or spring tiredness disease, as the German's call it. Whatever it is that happens inside me in the spring, I think that it is a bit of spring cleaning of the garbage so that I can focus on the essential. This time of year is a reality check and a time to get watered so that eventually all is resolved in the shape of a few lalelele, putting everything in perspective and color once again.
Whatever happens in these coming months, I guess I'll just smile and take the tulips for the moment. Bring it on!
