Gift of Spring

You know it’s spring in North Dakota when you have to use both the air conditioner and the furnace in the same week! The weather around here can be extreme. Today the wind howled but dazzling sunshine and a brilliant blue sky helped temper the bite of the gusts.

Bright green grass and fresh new leaves bring vivid color to the landscape. This was the week the crab apple trees blossomed, adding blushes of pinks and purples to the green. My kids know there will be pictures in front of that glorious tree every year. Is it possible we have twenty- four annual photos with that tree already? Where do the years go?

My favorite part of spring is the flowers. I love going from nursery to nursery, seeing what’s new this year and deciding what I want to plant where. I welcome the chance to create with gifts from nature. Part of my Sunday plans include my first round of flower shopping this year. Around here, if you plant before Memorial weekend, you run the risk of frost hurting your new babies.

For some reason, memories of a springtime walk to school when I was in first grade hold tight in my mind. We lived in Wisconsin so Dad could complete his schooling for his master’s degree. We lived in ramshackle family housing. My walk to school took me by a beautiful spring garden and the morning I recall so vividly was grey and drizzly. Perhaps that is why the colors were so vibrant. The rain brought the scent of all those blossoms to life. The only smudge on that perfect memory was the guilt I felt for plucking one of those pretty flowers. I knew immediately I shouldn’t have done it.

Spring is all about fresh starts. For us, it’s time to open our cabin in preparation for summer weekends to be spent at the lake. There will be campfires, fishing and barbecues with family and friends. But before all that, there is work to be done. For me, that work began today. For my husband, he’s already put in some time out there this year.

Next weekend will be Memorial Day. The unofficial kickoff to summer. I’ll pick up more flowers and go out and freshen the grave sites of family and a few close friends. My mom started me on the tradition. Spending a few hours showing respect and remembering those that have gone before us leaves me with a sense of peace.

Springtime is a season of anticipation for what is to come. Maybe if we lived somewhere that didn’t have four distinct seasons the glory of spring might be dampened. But here spring means the days of ice and snow are behind us and warm weather is coming. We have teaser-days where temperatures can reach into the 80’s but then fall back again to close to freezing. Sitting on the deck is such a treat right now, before the mosquitoes start buzzing. The sunsets stretch far into the evening. My first cup of early morning coffee now includes a serenade by noisy song birds.

I find comfort in the rhythm of the changing of the seasons.
 
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.   Rachel Carson      

So if you have been weighted down by life’s troubles and the past season has felt cold and dark, my hope for you is that your spirit is buoyed by the promise of all the changes that spring can initiate. Sit in the sunshine, feel the warmth on your shoulders, smell the fresh green grass, and gaze upon the fresh colors of new blooms. Welcome the season and enjoy.  Kim