Day 19: Nature's Unfailing Hope

Shortly after we bought our house, I had a water feature installed. It happens to be right under our bedroom window so when we leave it open, we can hear the babble of the waterfall. It was home to five koi, but we thought for sure we'd lost them all after the long and brutal winter. At one point, my husband had to turn off the pump that keeps the waterfall going. The pond was buried in snow and he was afraid it would burn out the motor, short the circuit, and wreak all kinds of havoc. As soon as we thought it safe, we plugged the pump back in and to our surprise, it fired right up. But the bigger surprise was finding the koi family alive and well. We'd lost one who had been with us several years, but his four pond mates survived.

For the past few mornings, our little pond has been covered by a light layer of ice, but the waterfall is flowing strong enough to keep flowing. This morning, as I was working in the yard and thinking about the juxtaposition of ice and flow, it put me in mind of Peter Gabriel's "Don't Give Up". In the song, he tells of his struggle to find his place and meaning in the world, only to feel like packing it in. The chorus, sung by Kate Bush in a haunting soprano, is the voice of encouragement.

Verse 2:

Drove the night toward my home
The place that I was born, on the lakeside
As daylight broke, I saw the earth
The trees had burned down to the ground

Chorus:


Don't give up
You still have us
Don't give up
We don't need much of anything
Don't give up
'cause somewhere there's a place
Where we belong

Rest your head
You worry too much
It's going to be alright
When times get rough
You can fall back on us
Don't give up
Please don't give up

Verse 3:


'got to walk out of here
I can't take anymore
Going to stand on that bridge
Keep my eyes down below
Whatever may come
And whatever may go
That river's flowing
That river's flowing

Moved on to another town
Tried hard to settle down
For every job, so many men
So many men no-one needs


Chorus:

Don't give up
'cause you have friends
Don't give up
You're not the only one
Don't give up
No reason to be ashamed
Don't give up
You still have us
Don't give up now
We're proud of who you are
Don't give up
You know it's never been easy
Don't give up
'cause I believe there's the a place
There's a place where we belong

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/peter+gabriel/#share

Our lives are a series of the ice and flow moments. Sometimes they come in a season of weeks and months. And other times, years and minutes. I appreciate Mother Nature being clear in her life lessons. Despite that long and difficult winter, Spring still comes. "Whatever may come, whatever may go, that river's flowing. That river's flowing."