Spring Emerges One Leaf at a Time, One Promise at a Time

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Seasons......one of the best parts of life in the Northeast!  I've never been one to feel the need - or the desire - to escape from the New York winter.  I'd miss the beauty of the stark white snow against a vivid blue sky.   I could handle a more temperate summer with less heat and less humidity, but really...summer in New York is pretty nice too.  We can all agree there's nothing more beautiful than autumn in New York.   Each season has its own rewards for me, including spring - the season of renewal, the season of hope, the season of promise.
Spring arrives just in the nick of time, just as we've reached our breaking point, just as we're about to cry, 'uncle'.  Just when we think we can't take another flake of snow, another sub-freezing day, spring makes its quiet entrance.  It arrives in a breath of warm air and its arrival is serenaded by a chorus of feathered friends singing their enthusiastic welcome.  It seems almost incredible how quickly nature responds as it quickly comes out of its winter hibernation.
First Sprouts on my Rose Bush
Hydrangea popping up from below the leaves.

Pussy Willow

Magnolia Blossoms
Hosta sprouting from the earth!
And then, almost without warning or very much time....the world is green again and full of new life. Nature is not discouraged by difficult circumstances.  It does not hide its head in the sand after tough times and frigid temperatures.  It rises again and embraces a new season.
Columbine

Coral Bells

Bigger everyday!

Snow drops!

Unfurling Fern
Spring gives us hope.  It gives us comfort and it gives us relief.  It reminds us that life carries on, despite hardship and tough times.
Glorious Forsythia

We all experience difficult times - times of illness, stress, job loss, financial difficulties.  During those times, we might feel hopeless.  Often we lose our ability to see a light at the end of the tunnel.  We may even want to give up.  Winter can make us feel that way too.  Endless cold, winter driving, storm after storm....even winters with hardly any snow can have a profound affect on our mood.  Have you ever experienced a difficult time that seemed endless and all of a sudden you find yourself free from it?  One day you wake up and realize that it's over, you've overcome whatever was weighing you down.  It can happen after a long illness.  Day after day you feel lousy, unable to function normally. The days drag on until you're sure you'll never feel like yourself again.  Then suddenly one day you notice you are better.  It seems like an overnight change when in reality it was happening a little each day but until the change was big enough and evident enough, you hadn't noticed.
Spring is like that for me.  One day it's brown and muddy out, and the next everything is sprouting up with new life, green and lush, filled with optimism and promise.
Coltsfoot
One of my favorite parts of spring is the crop of skunk cabbage in the woods behind our house.  One day each spring I look out and notice them beginning to emerge, tiny pointed sprouts from the earth....
Skunk Cabbage
And before long, sometimes days, little by little the brown barren ground is dotted with green.
Skunk Cabbage
And then one morning I look out and this is what I see.....
And the world is green once again!
Winter has its beginning and it also has its end.  Life is filled with winters, some harder to endure than others, but it is up to us to have faith that just like spring returns year after year, life's hardships will also come to an end and new life and gentler times will come again too.
If you're experiencing an endless winter, I'm hoping and praying for a warm recovery.  If life has kept you too busy to notice the emerging life outside your window, take a moment to have a look.  I bet you'll see many signs of promise right outside your door.
      Song of Solomon 2:11-12 For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
Spring shows us what God can do with a drab, dirty world. - Virgil A. Kraft

Thanks for stopping by Life As I See It.  It's always a pleasure to see you and hear from you!

2 comments

  1. Lovely post, Gail--refreshing, like a gentle spring breeze :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Diana! Some days we need such things. Life can be tough at times and spring sure is a promise of renewal. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!

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