I drove into town today and was reminded at the resilience of creation. Today is the first day of spring, a date that some of us (me included) thought might never arrive.
Rather than snow in the fields, I see black dirt again, waiting for planting season to begin. Farmers are hauling their big equipment out of the barns and getting it ready, friends are buying seeds for gardens and dreaming of flowers and vegetables to come. My cat wakes me up and begs to be outside, staying for longer than fifteen minutes before returning to the warmth of the heating pad beneath my feet.
And while I haven’t forgotten that there were -11 degree temperatures which held me hostage this last winter, those days are simply a memory. They no longer threaten my movement and become less and less important the closer I get to summer.
I am so fortunate to live in the Midwest where every season is experienced in totality. The beauty of that is each time a new season rolls around, we are fully prepared for the old one to leave and the new one to arrive. We are resilient that way … our joy is found in the change and transformation that comes with the cycles ahead of us.
Friends (and me too) have mentioned that they didn’t want to complain about the horrible temperatures of winter because they despise the awful heat of summer, but it occurs to me that is all part of enjoying our seasons. We are always ready for the next one to arrive and welcome it with open arms. Even spring and fall, which are my favorite seasons, give way to the glory of summertime and the beauty of winter, making a year in the Midwest a wonderful experience.
I am so excited to see farmers get back into the fields and watch as the world turns green once more. I have complained about the miserably cold temperatures and whined that winter seems to have lasted forever, but in truth, it is just a short period of time and that is all behind me.
As creation around me springs to life again, I find myself breathing more deeply, taking in the beauty of a sunshiny day and being thankful that I get to experience winter as well as spring.
