It’s okay to smile

I saw bluebells today,

The first of the season,

Mingled with stitchwort,

Adorning the banks

Of the lanes as I pass.

There were lambs in the fields,

Playing games in the sun,

As their mothers grazed

On the lush green grass

And rooks wheeled in the wind.

Some little grey wagtails

Bobbed at the canal side,

And tree reflections

Graced the still waters

As a swan glided by.

Surrounded by beauty,

The work of a Master,

A smile tugs my lips,

But my heart questions,

And I wonder, “Why me?”

Why should I enjoy this

While others are broken,

Trapped by a virus,

Or ravished by war,

Or confined to a prison?

How can I relish spring

While others face winter?

A season of pain

And greater darkness

Than I will ever know.

All creation is groaning,

Redemption seems far off,

The ‘last days’ linger,

Winter is endless,

My smile doesn’t form.

Is beauty mocking me,

Making a nonsense of

The faith I profess?

Why should I be blessed

While faithful ones suffer?

Or is it God’s goodness –

A sign He still cares,

A reminder of

What God intended

When He first made the world?

He made it to dazzle,

A place of perfection,

A garden of joy –

God present with us,

Enjoying each other.

Our damaged world today

Is humanity’s fault.

Glimpses of beauty

Are signs of God’s grace,

That we’re not forgotten.

I can let my smile out

Without feeling guilty;

My heart can rejoice

That God is still good –

As it was, it will be.

The flowers of today

Speak hope for tomorrow,

Of all things renewed,

Restored and redeemed,

In all of creation.

By Katherine O’Donnell