Spring finally came.
That line carries a big sigh of relief, as if we endured such a hard winter.
It really wasn't. Yes, there were a few record-breaking cold days, but overall it wasn't an extremely cold winter. Yes, there was some snow, but not a lot. I think I can probably count on one hand the number of days I had to shovel instead of sweep the sidewalk.
Still. Spring's arrival was greatly anticipated.
There were cut flowers and sunny walks to celebrate.
Tree sap drips on the sidewalks.
I wake up to birds singing morning songs.
Bulbs are peeking out of the soil with pointy leaves.
Lichen has turned the tree trunks - and my roof shingles - green.
The leaves have not come in yet, but the trees' silhouettes have subtly changed, as nobby little buds appear at the end of every branch.
The days are longer, the windows can be opened, and there are robins and squirrels everywhere.
It's all delightful.
Those swollen little buds will, within a few short weeks, explode into a thousand chartreuse pom-poms and cover my tree.
I'll sing for joy and sneeze repeatedly and dance a happy dance inside.
I suppose I love spring, in part for its own sake, but mostly because summer follows it, and that is my favorite season of all.
I sit here, writing this ode to spring, while small white flakes float down outside. I'm possessed with a perverse sort of optimism, the kind that does not see undesirable realities.
It's not snowing, see; it's merely a spring shower that turned a wee bit too cold.
It doesn't really count, because it's spring and it's not very much. It won't stick. And even if it does, it won't accumulate.
Surely not.
It's spring now and snow is simply unallowable.
As if I have any say in the matter.
- - -
The cuties -
Little Miss Curlicue.
She called me Auntie Rachie-Poo on the phone the other day. I just about died.
"What kind of confuser are you using?" she asked my mom the other day, which meant, "What scent are you diffusing right now?"
Not that I'm biased or anything, but that is one cute kid right there...
Spunky, sassy little Avers.
Oh, and Gracie-Poo. So tiny. So darling. So loved.
A rare picture of Pierre-o. How can he be so big already?
Angèle keeps asking me when I'm going back for a visit. I need to come back, she says. She also says I need to eat enough and get rest and not work too hard and get married.
These are not all concerns in equal measure for me. :)
The other day, I was out for a walk with the boys, and Ezra noticed a stone or crack or something in the sidewalk and exclaimed, "That's so old it was in the Bible!"
Jonah can howl like a coyote (among other animal sounds) and he's definitely had a growth spurt. He narrates his life hilariously, like this -
"I walking."
"I eating pizza. [Looking in the pizza box] Oh no! All gone."
"I watching nature!" (Sunday evenings are for nature shows and popcorn, you see.)
"Where's helicopter? It flew away! Bye-bye!" (There's a helipad just across from the school, and he loves to look out the window after lunch.)
"I washing hands. No, my do it!"
I'm not at all sure how I feel about him being a big boy.
- - -
Grandma -
These are few old photos I copied back at Christmas.
I miss her so much.
Sometimes I just want to call her up and tell her what's happening in life. Or talk about food with her.
Some days the memories make me laugh or smile; other days they make me cry.
She was always sharing her treats...a simple but delightful way of spreading love. Couldn't we all use more of that?
- - -
It's such a curious mix that makes up our days -
Change and routine. Work and rest. New babies and losses of loved ones. Celebrations and struggles. Holidays and ordinary days. Milestones and a plodding through all the unexceptional moments in between.
Sometimes questions sit side by side with confidence, and the wrestling with peace. That's what I'm finding, anyway. I am glad for a God big enough to handle all of it, one who cares and knows and speaks. One who, in the words of Psalm 68:19, "daily loads us with benefits." Grace, grace, grace!
- - -
Finally, Mom - Happy Birthday!
You already know I think you're the best, but everyone else should really know too. I'm glad you're mine. :)
