It was not the first promise, but it was another significant one from the mouth of Creator, which orients my heart regularly. Early on in the Hebrew text, and in another time of (much worse) global trauma there was this assurance given that never again would the ground be cursed for the escalated evils of men. Seedtime and harvest would continue as a sign of this hope, and attenders can have it on God’s good guarantee that this blooming will not cease as long as the planet exists.

In the meantime, we’re all waiting, watching. It’s a time of sure dismemberment, held away from those we love except by zoom or text. Yesterday, looking for the link in a pile of emails for an upcoming digital meeting I thought to myself “is this death by zoom?”…”ok, here it is, found it.” It turned out to be a helpful meeting, was glad for it, learned something; but truth be told, it was as unsatisfying as something boxed in my pantry compares to one of my daughter’s lovingly prepared meals.

I prefer the real meal. Here is a sign of such yearning just finished inside my studio. There’s fog here over hints of color peeking. And there is hard ground, which seems unforgiving. But there are things popping out all around me too, out my windows, on my walks, in my seedbeds. I’m on the lookout and sometimes things show up.

The promise was put forth in poetic form in the original transcribing:

“While the earth remains,

Seedtime and harvest,

And cold and heat,

And summer and winter,

And day and night

Shall not cease.”

(God, and part of His public domain)