Seasons

As February ebbs into March, everyone at my house is feeling the pull of sunshine and the hope of green growing things. In running errands, I ended up in the grocery store with my daughter. We didn't find what we were after, but we left with a pot of blooming hyacinths all the same...blue ones, my favorite color.

I love the bulb flowers that bloom first each Spring. We used to live in a house that had crocus flowers planted in the front lawn. We never knew where they would come up first, but it was a joy every Spring to see them pop up, seemingly at random.

I put the hyacinths on the dining table, where I could see them and smell them all day. Have you ever smelled hyacinths in full bloom? They are heavenly! Pretty soon, you could smell them throughout the whole house. My daughter and I are trying to figure out where to plant them.

I was a little worried that my husband would see it as an extravagant purchase (because it was! bulbs of any kind in full bloom in February come at a premium price!). But he didn't. He walked in the door at the end of the workday, took one deep breath, and sighed with happiness. I think he has the "Spring is coming soon!" bug, just like the rest of us.

I once knew a woman who had lived in Panama for four years. She said she never appreciated the change of the seasons so much as when it was hot and humid and green all year long. I though about that statement many times over the years, mostly because I have often wished to live in the perpetual blooming summer of the tropics. I think I can see what she meant. One of the great joys of my life is the change of the seasons. There are things I like about each one. And each one can get pretty old, and I begin to look forward to the next season.

I loved winter. I am ready for spring. I am grateful for the change of the seasons. I am grateful for the always-the-same, always-new feeling I have each time. Come on, spring!

What are you blessed with today?