Springtime

I have been enjoying every moment of spring this year. Every moment. And not just because we've had a couple days like this:







You see, I usually look forward to spring wistfully as January and February slowly pass by. I say to myself, "If I can just make it to March, then we'll start having some warmer weather mixed in, some days in the 40s. The snow will start to melt and the end will be in sight." But then March comes and I find myself unsatisfied still. I find myself wishing it wasn't so muddy or annoyed by the chilly wind. If only the wind would stop... By the second week in April I'm usually wishing the leaves were out. By the beginning of May I realize that what I've been longing for is MAY.

But not this year. Granted, we have had some beautiful weather. March was a perfect succession of gradually warmer weather and slowly melting snow. There wasn't a lot of run-off, just a perfect seepage into the ground. Over the course of about one week, the snow just disappeared.

Mud season seemed short, and the chilly wind didn't bother me as much.


My grape hyacinths I planted 2 years ago are really taking off and have bloomed beautifully this year.

The grass is a lovely green and every moment of warm sun on my face has been noticed.

I have also found myself nostalgic this spring. Spring is passing so quickly and soon it will be gone and summer will beupon us. I have this overwhelming desire to take in every moment this summer, to live in each moment, to simplify, to savor. I want to drink lemonade and swim in rivers. I want to walk in fragrant meadows with daisies and buttercups nodding around me. I want to breathe in the scent of fresh-cut grass. I want to hear sleeping bag zippers being pulled up and the muffled sound of my children's voices as they settle down to sleep in the tent, while Lincoln and I linger at the campfire. I want to snuggle into a blanket and stare up into a night sky heavy with stars. I want to listen to my children giggle as they chase lightning bugs. I want to watch my children play tag in the front yard as the sun sets in all its fiery glory. I want to catch the scent of warm, drying hay on the breeze. And corn fields, the sweet, heavy smell of corn fields in high summer is heavenly. I can't wait to work in my vegetable garden, among varied scents of tomatoes, dill, and green beans. I am eager to watch my food storage grow as I can produce. I want to savor the first, warm strawberry of the season, fresh from the field. And don't even get me started on the first tomato sandwich! I want to stretch out in the dappled sunlight under a towering maple tree and read all afternoon.

All this and more, the simple joys of summer. My heart almost aches for it. And yet, in my anticipation of summer, I am still enjoying each moment of spring. The gradual transition, the awakening of the earth. Each tulip and daffodil makes my heart sing.


Each warm spring rain that falls on my face and every booming thunderstorm is a joy. Ah, the age-old desire to slow down the passing of time! Happy spring! Embrace it.