The Flower by George Herbert

How fresh, oh Lord, how sweet and clean 
Are thy returns! even as the flowers in spring; 
         To which, besides their own demean, 
The late-past frosts tributes of pleasure bring. 
                      Grief melts away 
                      Like snow in May, 
         As if there were no such cold thing. 

I read this poem while I was at L'abri in Southborough, MA during spring break. Being in Massachusetts reminded me of the film Little Women. The setting of this film is in Massachusetts during the winter and spring seasons of life. The visual imagery of snow during my time in MA was very reminiscent of the sorrow felt in characters such as Beth when she passed away. The seasonal imagery in the film was very reflective of the storyline. When it was winter there was a sense of grief because that was when a lot of difficult situations would happen for the March family such as Amy almost dying in the icy lake or their father being wounded in the war. But when spring came there was an expression of new life and restoration. This was seen in events such as the the birth of May's babies and Jo falling in love during her time in New York. 

During this spring season this poem has really resonated with me during this time of my life. I feel like it has been a long winter and that like in Little Women spring has been a time of reflecting restoration. 

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