After a long, dark Pacific Northwest winter, it feels so good when springtime and sunshine finally arrive.Everything is growing like crazy out there, as if all plant life has stopped taking its Ritalin and hyperactivity rules the day. The strawberries are blooming big-time in our garden and local small farmers are already selling fresh produce at our town’s Saturday Market.
“Enjoy the sunshine!” neighbors enthuse to one-another when we meet at the post office or when we are out for evening walks. There’s a kind of goofy, giddy smile we seem to share. We are all feeling way too happy.
I went out early this morning to enjoy the sun and saw that there was beautiful, soft light filtering through Tibetan Prayer Flags we have strung in our trees. For centuries Tibetan Buddhists have used woodblocks to print prayers on the flags, which are then hung in high mountain passes and outside homes and places of spiritual practice. The belief is that the blessings are carried by the wind.
We are not Tibetan or even Buddhists, but we honor the desire to spread peace. I bought the prayer flags from a Tibetan man who has a shop in Seattle. This blessing was attached to the flags:
“May the rain fall at the proper time. May the crops and livestock be bountiful. May there be freedom from illness, famine and war. May all beings be well and happy.”
