I see resurrection happen as the silver maple in the front yard begins it’s spring ritual. Cold nights and warm days produce the mysterious freeze and thaw cycles that allow the sap to flow during the day. Participating in a tradition that began with the indigenous people of North America, I make a small hole in the tree which allows the sap to flow into my bucket during the day. When the buds on the tree “pop” and the sap stops flowing, I take what I have, make a little fire in the backyard, and boil it down to make maple syrup.

This year I only got one tiny jar. But for me, it’s more about opening myself to the cycles of creation. I think about the gift that trees are in providing shade, holding soil in place, filtering our city’s rainwater, cleaning the air. I think about how the leaves of our silver maple have been converting the energy of a giant star into food aka starches and sugars and storing that for energy. I think about how I did nothing to produce the sugary sap. I didn’t put the sun out there. I didn’t make it rain. I didn’t even plant the tree. I simply went out and “gathered” it.

Then the really fun part comes: sharing homemade pancakes with the maple syrup from our silver maple in the front yard. Yes, it’s all gift!

That’s enough to resurrect my wintered soul.