Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Charles Dickens, writing in Great Expectations, perfectly described a day that fits this season. “It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold; when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” It’s an annual tug of war between winter and spring with each season doing their best to lengthen their domain. It’s also the month that pussy willows grace our area with the promise of warmer days to come. Late winter and early spring find a variety of willow species showing off their male catkins long before any sign of leaves appear on their bare branches.
Other times of the year these trees are generally known by their ordinary names, but most of us can’t withstand the temptation and call them pussy willows since the soft, gray texture of those catkins is reminiscent of tiny cats or kittens. Soon that gray will be replaced by a golden color of the millions of grains of pollen that will fertilize the small flowers on the female catkins. It’s so predictable you can set your clock by it.
As happened so often, the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and demanded a sign, to which He replied: “You are good at reading the weather signs of the skies—red sky tonight means fair weather tomorrow; red sky in the morning means foul weather all day—but you can’t read the obvious signs of the times!” (Matthew 16:2-3 Living Bible) Hopefully we’re not so blind as they were, able to tell when spring is ready to arrive by the willows, but without a clue as to the spiritual indicators He offers us.