It's Time to Celebrate Spring

The winter seemed very harsh this year, and the new spring has truly become a celebration. I've found great pleasure just spending my evenings sitting outside doing a variety of things, whether it be watching distant storm clouds, taking in a good book, smelling a neighbors barbecue, listening to a distant lawn being mowed, or watching my energetic son play. Sometimes I even get up and join in the play or I turn the fire on my outdoor grill and contribute to the fragrances of the area. I truly enjoy this time of the year.

Some may disagree, but I find the labor of mowing my lawn to be a rewarding one. Smelling the sweetness of the cut grass and marveling at the finished work are pure delights. The surface seems so smooth that you can roll a marble on it. Plus, you also know the effort taken in getting your yard to looking so grand was worth it.

As I look at my garden plot, I know I soon need to get to planting. Some might groan at this prospect as well, but I look at it with eagerness. There are a lot of little thrills in gardening. Running your hands through the cool earth, listening to the water from your hose splatter on that same soil, watching the plants grow, and later having your finished product on the dinner table are just a few of those moments.

Now, I know the cosmos can give a great show year-round, but it has been a real joy to get out at night and watch the sky without having to wrap-up in layers. You can take your time again without being interrupted by the chills and catch more of the heavenly details. You can't help but be thankful.

The spring storms are another thing that actually gets me excited. I enjoy watching them. It seems some of my inner ambitions would have me jumping out and being a storm chaser like those you see on TV, yet the opportunity just hadn't made itself visible to me yet. I will say like most of those chasers that while it is fun to watch the storms, you still do not want to see people hurt. Hopefully through the work and learning that those individuals are doing, storm-related injuries and deaths will become less frequent.

And spring is truly about life. The trees come back to life with their colorful new blooms, and a lot of tiny creatures are hatching into the world. It is fun to walk along a pond and see a family of geese with those new little goslings learning their lessons. I really like the fact we get to celebrate Easter during spring. There just isn't a better celebration of life than that. Let us seize the season!