Spring always surprises us. Suddenly, it seems, more light. The sound of a bird chirping very high up, out of sight in a treetop. We notice this more acutely living in the relative silence of the New England countryside. Lent is of the same root as lengthen. Days are longer now; more time in God's light to notice what needs to be cleaned, even rooted out, so that new growth can flourish and increase.
Clumps of snowdrops are blooming outside the windows of the Abbey lavabo.