I heard the birds chirping this morning. What a beautiful sound….for right now. LOL Some birds singing can be truly annoying. Even so, I realize that this winter in particular has not been a friend for nature as it teases the dickens out of what is what. Having little snow, then big snow, then rain in spain kind weather with some milder days in February, I wonder how smart nature is and can it respond to the turbulent craziness. I worry that the early signs of spring (thawing and melting and early flooding) which is not close by the way, could give a mixed message, and birds and such have come out in droves. I even saw Canada geese in the field the other day!! Did they even go south? And hibernating animals. Have they come out too? What will that do to them? Because the season of winter is still upon us. Arbitrary annual dates on the calendar do not make the season stop and go. I know for a fact that March can create havoc. You know that phrase “come in like a lamb, go out like a lion” hear me roar as my youngest granddaughter likes to make that sound. Heehee. Time will tell for sure.
But to hear the birds singing this morning, it was music to my ears! I felt a hint of spring in the air. Aaahhh what a glorious feeling! I am okay with that. There are moments when the seasons start to change and something is afoot. I remember one time during March Break and my family went south to Myrtle Beach. Driving down is the best because you see visible signs of spring as the kilometres tick by. Stopping at one of the many gas stations along route I-79, I think in West Virginia, we got out for a good stretch and holy lightning! I could smell and feel spring. My whole body seemed to come alive with vim and vigour. Honestly, it was an unbelievable sensation as the spring-like temperature and GREEN grass….haha….not even sinking in it. And there were flowers with colour!! It was just perfect. But breathing in the air, fresh spring like air, it was an aroma hard to describe. Sometimes the English language, which seems it has multiple phrases and ways for everything, cannot hold up its end of expressed thought. Just felt GREAT. Smelt GREAT. Tony the Tiger….GRRRREAT!!
It is kind of exciting too as I notice that daylight hours are getting longer. Oh yes. The movement of earth takings its’ turn, cycling through, allowing the angle of the sun hitting the earth just right so we are seeing dawn breaking earlier. I am a morning nerd basically. I love love the early morning. There is just something about opening up the world, shedding its light, unwrapping the hidden colour (yes kind of white still), as it touches this place we call home. And going on a walk in the wee hours of early morn….oh yes! Sunrises and sunsets are probably my favourite photos to look at and take as well (me an amateur through and through). The slow rise and fall, book ends to one’s day, seem to call upon the heart to be ready and then later retire as the adventure of the day takes place.
The wonders of the seasons spark a crazy fusion of emotions, don’t you think? I am guessing most people have a favourite and least favourite season. As a season starts to shed its signs, there is an anticipation of responses that come to the forefront of ones mouth like nooooooo or yessssss. Maybe a little more sublte such as Egad! Yikes! Really! Oh my Lord! No way! Yippee! Whoohoo! Boohoo! Blimey! Jeepers! Amen! Hey this is PG and Family channel rated….so there.
But is that not true! Seasons bring out the best and worst in people. LOL. Not funny laughing at them but funny in the way they show their emotions. Two friends come to mind right away about winter. Their faces take on the sourest lemony look (and I really like lemon taste), where the face scrunches up and then the body shivers. All they can think of is the burden of too: too long, too cold, too many clothes, too much shovelling, too slippery, too dark, too shut in, too many colds, too dry, too slushy, too dangerous, too icy, too unpredictable too much of too.
What happened to the long nights and cuddling up, quiet of the world, hot drinks, lip smacking hot chocolate, brisk days get body alert and keen (have you not heard positive effects of cold therapy), comfort foods, winter sports, hot tubs and saunas, family gathering in a cozy way, warm reading socks, snow days (aaahhh the life of a student), catching snowflakes, build snowman or snowlady, or just kicking back to watch snow falling. I really enjoy the snowfall, the blanket of white, frosting on the tree branches, the white banking the moving bubbling brook. Glimmers of beauty. Even one’s breath captured in the air (bad breath or not). And most of all in the early morning or late at night, the stillness of the land in its quiet wrapping, silencing the world around. In other words, there are smiles and chuckles, yikes and grrrs in the paradox of a season. Yea?
Hey winter!! Haha. It’s an okay season. Anyway, winter is half over (yippee kai yeah) and soon spring will have sprung. Which has its own set of oohs and ahs and boos and bahs. Boy I am on a roll today. It just feels good to have the birds chirping, the temperature in single digits, and the sun rising and then setting for longer. I could sing “Mr Sun.” but really I feel like bursting in grace “Oh the Lord is good to me. And so I thank the Lord, for giving me the things I need, the sun (not or maybe to get rid of the snow) the rain, and the apple (maybe family…yes), the Lord is good to me, Johnny Appleseed. Amen!”
Yes it is Sunday. The Lord’s Day for some, always for all, and celebrating Family Day weekend. Blessings.
Let us pray for those who are in need of our prayers this day and for the gift of the seasons. Amen
Karenpondering 