Thursday, May 2, 2019

The Spirit of Spring


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There’s something about spring that throws the door wide open and puts its best foot forward.  The surprise of the first green shoots takes our breath away,  then early blossoms bring colors of hope and beauty after a long dreary winter. 

I lived in Minneapolis for 15 years, and I felt the bitter bite of winter. Spring would finally come, but in Minneapolis, spring would happen so quickly that it was over before you knew it.  I remember a day that started at 40degrees and ended at 100!  All in one day!!! As if Minnesota didn’t know how to savor spring.

I live in NJ now, and NJ has a spring that lingers.  I can savor spring here.  Its beauty is breathtaking: the bright yellow forsythia, the magnolias, azaleas, the daffodils & tulips.  Hope comes with spring, with the planting of gardens and the anticipation of fresh lettuce or peas or tomatoes… I wait all year for this.




The magnolia tree always surprises me with its huge, glorious blossoms. They last just a short time, and then fall away to cover the ground, bruised and browning.  But think of the boldness of its bloom!  Can I ever be that bold?  And can I give up my own glory so gracefully? 

I thank God for the beauty of spring, for the hope of longer days, for the warm sun on my back.  The beauty of the earth feeds my eyes, the warmth eases my body, and the hope and anticipation that comes with spring is a blessing to my soul. I am more cautious than the magnolia. It is a challenge for me to be bold. Nonetheless, I can still bloom, and I can strive to be bold in sharing my faith. We each have our part.



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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;   Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Blessings to you for a bold and glorious spring!

5 comments:

  1. Lovely post! Thanks for sharing your spring beauty!

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  2. OH! We have a glorious magnolia that covers our driveway with its pink petals every spring. The guys use the snow shovel to scoop them up and fill several recycle cans. I wrote about it in "Pink Snow" and share pictures: https://alicenine.net/pink-snow/ Thank you for your words about boldness. Blessings!

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  3. Karen, your flowers share the beauty of springs. The forsythia bush in my backyard has only a small clump of yellow showing but nonetheless, I always wait for its return to spring. Thanks for sharing, Karen. May your weekend be filled with spring gifts.

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  4. Love how your post pointed us toward gratitude. I love your forsythia bush and these words from your post: " The beauty of the earth feeds my eyes, the warmth eases my body, and the hope and anticipation that comes with spring is a blessing to my soul." Thanks for the nudge to be bold in sharing my faith.

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  5. A spring that lingers... that's what we have in Alabama, and it is so so lovely! And yes, my dear, you ARE that bold magnolia blossom and forsythia and all those other springtime treasures.... thank you! xo

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