![\"Springtime](\"https:\/\/harveycp.vitelline.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Springtime-in-Ukraine.jpg\")
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Springtime! \u2014\nA cascade of new blooms, pushing their way through the dark soil of winter; \nBleak branches now ablaze with pink or white blossoms; \nBirds\u2014excitedly sharing their anticipation of new life and hope in one melodious chorus of praise. \nHave we gotten the message yet? \nWinter has been winter defeated for one year more at least!\n\nBut, is this how my friends feel in that distant land\u2014 \nSearching for mementos in the rubble of past dreams;\nHastily stuffing photos of loved ones past and present into bulging bags as they\nHurriedly begin their harrowing escape to freedom? \nOr does the roar of gunfire drown out the birdsong?\nDoes the smoke of war dim the hues of springtime flowers? \nAnd fear!\nIs it able to choke the promise of new life?\n\nAnd back in the cities!\nAre the tree lined avenues once more ablaze with white and pink blossoms?\nOr are there any trees left at all?\nMaybe just a few here or there\u2014\nLone stragglers, \nStruggling for survival midst the smoke and fire of guns? \n\nAnd the people!\nOh yes, the people!\nPeople like you and I\nWho cannot or will not\nEscape to friendly frontiers of fields and flowers!\nAre they even aware \nEntombed in their basement shelters, \nThat winter is over and the singing of the birds has come? \n\nThese questions nag me,\nPlague me,\nDisturb me!\nI do not know the answers,\nFor America is not and never will be Ukraine!\n\nWhat can I do, then?\nI cannot send the suffering ones gifts of Spring-hope wrapped up in pretty paper.\nI have no power to dispel their winter of despair and death.\nAnd so I simply pray, \nFor no enemy can block a prayer by guns:\n\u201cOh, God of all seasons and all lands,\nLet the Springtime of hope\u2019s resurrection bloom once more in every anguished heart. \nLet each one feel, somehow:\nThat the Enemy cannot obliterate the seasons!\nThat the winter of hatred cannot forever swallow the hope of Spring!\nThat the God of resurrection and Eternal life has not been forced to flee to some other universe for safety.\nLet this message reverberate:\nThrough every message winged their way,\nThrough every dollar sacrificed to relieve their suffering.\nThrough every stuttering, stammering prayer, uttered from anguished and love-torn hearts.\u201d \n\nNo, hatred!\nNo, fear!\nNo, death!\nTry as you will, \nYou cannot kill Spring-time, 2022!\nThe God of resurrection and Eternal Life has not been maimed by artillery fire.\nHe is not curtailed by sanctions,\nOr roadblocks,\nOr hostile frontiers.\n\nThen take heart, \nBeloved, suffering ones! \nIt\u2019s Spring again\u2014in Ukraine!\n\t\t\u2014Trudy Harvey Tait.<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Springtime! \u2014 A cascade of new blooms, pushing their way through the dark soil of winter; Bleak branches now ablaze with pink or white blossoms; Birds\u2014excitedly sharing their anticipation of new life and hope in one melodious chorus of praise. Have we gotten the message yet? Winter has been winter defeated for one year more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harveycp.vitelline.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3060"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harveycp.vitelline.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harveycp.vitelline.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harveycp.vitelline.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harveycp.vitelline.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3060"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/harveycp.vitelline.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3065,"href":"https:\/\/harveycp.vitelline.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3060\/revisions\/3065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harveycp.vitelline.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harveycp.vitelline.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harveycp.vitelline.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}