Monday, April 13, 2009
Spring!
The older I get, the more intensely I see and feel the seasons. Maybe it's because I realize I have a finite time left, and the good things around me are to be savored and valued. Spring is one of those good things!
As a kid, I always looked forward to April and the elation associated with finally being able to spend hours playing outside. Those positive feelings were accompanied by greening grass, moderating temperatures, more light to enjoy the day -- and thunderstorms. "God's fireworks," as my grandpa often called them, and spring in Indiana rarely disappoints in that category.
Over time many other things also added to the "rites of spring." Like the distinct earthy aroma of freshly plowed fields and that first day when the woods have a slight green cast to it that you almost miss as you drive the country roads. Then there's the morning when the fields are alive with the Conk-a-reeeee song of the red-winged blackbird. In recent years, we enjoy the energy experienced by our alpacas as we turn them out on pasture on a balmy spring day.
Nature's rebirth in this season also coincides with our own faith in the celebration of the resurrection, a connection that has become more meaningful over the years.