Weekend Reads v. 12.4.2025
It’s all highlighter green.
The view from my window changes daily this time of year. Delicate white or pink flowers dot the dogwoods. Tulips stand at attention. The new shoots of grass and leaves are a blinding shade of green that feels youthful. Highlighter green, as a teacher once described to a class of cynical middle schoolers.
I can’t help but think that that teacher every Spring. I’ve long since forgotten her name, but I remember vividly the way she described the emotion she felt while looking out of the window over her kitchen sink to a backyard waking up from a long winter’s sleep. The youthful energy springing up from the ground was a reminder of the hope of what was to come and also the sad realization of what was no more.
She described the leaves as “highlighter green,” and then choked up with emotion. Now I recognize that emotion in myself – fueled mostly by hormones, probably, but also by the reflection gained from seeing dozens of Springs come and go.
It’s hopeful and heartbreaking in …
