In the Bleak Midwinter

I didn’t even notice them at first. They were blooming so subtly amongst a tangle of dead lantana branches. When I did see them, I had to smile. I thought, what a wonderful picture of hope midst dreariness. We do have a few camellias starting to bloom, and the Japanese magnolias are budding vigorously. Still–pecan trees in nearby orchards thrust bare and sprangly limbs against the sky. Oak trees are brooding and gray. Overall, it doesn’t really look like the song by Christina Rosetti, “In the
Bleak Midwinter.” But her lines come to mind:
“In the bleak midwinter, Frosty wind may blow, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone. Snow had fallen Snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter long, long ago.”
Yet there–there in the drear, sad patch of deadness–rises this tiny cluster of blossoms. Our good God never leaves us without hope. It might be only a spray or just a ray, but He will always give hope to thirsty souls.
I took a picture on my “Picture This” app and learned that, not only is the delicate flower called, as I know it, narcissus or paperwhite, but is also bunchflower daffodil, Tazetta, Jonquil, Joss flower, even Chinese sacred lily. The number of names may have to do with the fact that the flower grows all over the world, a native of the Mediterranean region.
The greatest sign of joy, peace, patience–and hope–we’ve just celebrated. The coming of Jesus in a lowly stable in the bleak midwinter. I wanted to remember more of Rosetti’s lines so I looked them up.
“Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, Nor Earth sustain, Heaven and earth shall flee away, When He comes to reign. In the bleak midwinter A stable-place sufficed. Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.”
“In the Bleak Midwinter” was first published in Scribner’s Monthly, 1872, under the title “A Christmas Carol.” I especially love to hear it sung by my country singer nephew, Neil Dover.
Look for beacons of hope in your garden!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!!!
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