Spring is Coming!

For the first time since I can remember I am ready to say goodbye to winter. I love winter. It is my favorite season. I love snow and cold and all the wonderful things that come from winter. This season has been hard. Winter seems like it has dragged on. I’m not sure if it’s because for the first time I haven’t been with my family or friends during winter or that I have been stuck in a home with not many things to do. I love my teammates don’t get me wrong, but there is only so much of two people that one can handle.

I’m ready for the newness of spring. For the leaves on the trees, kids playing outsides, birds chirping, and the ability to go outside without fears of freezing. I have experienced for the first time the winter blues. It gets dark early and it’s cold. It makes me want to stay in bed all day long and snuggle with my cat, Jack.

Today I got a glimpse of spring. While I was doing laundry at Pinky’s I walked over to the Post Office. I noticed that it is as if the community has come alive. Later I noticed in my own neighborhood that people who normally would stay in have ventured out, kids are riding their bikes, there are cute puppies playing down the street from me, and there is life here again.

My life here has become routine and yet even within my routine there are things that are not consistent. After missing several days of serving at the 555 in Whiteclay, last week I was able to go twice to serve. I spent time helping Bruce prepare for the upcoming summer season. Through the Lakota Crafters Co-Op Bruce runs a little store to sell hand-made Lakota products. Ranging from bead-work and quill-work (as in making things out of porcupine quills) to things made out of leather and my favorite the paintings and drawings. Bruce is lucky enough to know some very talented Lakota artists. One of them is named Joe and he has made beautiful paintings for posters that are used in print and advertising all over the reservation. Bruce also showed me an exquisite drawing done only with a blue ink pen. People out here have such talent that goes unseen by the majority of the world, except Bruce. He sees people’s God-given talent and gives them the opportunity find joy and pride in creating beautiful works of arts, art that expresses pain, joy, love, family, and a rarely seen Native American perspective. Last week I helped Bruce display this art, in hopes of selling it to people like me, so that he can buy more art and in turn the artist.

God is not done teaching me things that I need to learn about life out here. I am still learning patience with children who need love more than they need to know their alphabet. I am learning how to live and work with teammates. I am learning grace and unending forgiveness, even when I don’t think it is deserved. Thankfully with the coming of spring also comes the opportunity for me to experience new growth.