Sunshine Therapy

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. -Proverb

Spring is here!  And I'm breathing a sigh of relief....

It may not have been the sunshiny ringing in of the calendar I'd hoped for, but the milestone had me smiling inside just the same.

After the winter we've had, I think everyone has been anxiously anticipating the season.  In the past several days, we've had sneak peeks of sunshine.  On those days, no matter where I am, there is a visible improvement of mood and attitude. Though there's research to show our body's need for vitamin D, I think the sun provides nourishment to the heart and soul as well.

Yes, I'm sure in a few months the majority will be complaining about the heat, but for now, I'm eager to see a skip in everyone's step as we enter the season.

Myself, I've been in a bit of a writing slump.  Very unusual for me not to have something to say.  I've started and tossed more posts than I can ever recall.

For awhile I blamed it on the testimony I was preparing.  Knowing it would be the first time I publicly and verbally spoke of our journey, I was a mess of jumbled and nervous jitters.  But a week has come and gone since sharing with a room full of women.

Though I came home on a high and a lifted sense of purpose, at the computer, I'm still drawing a blank.  It hasn't helped that my blog has had some technical difficulties and Google has not been my friend.  Nor that a few loved ones are going through difficult times, both family and friends.

The month has just been unusually hard and I've found it a struggle at times to remain hopefull.

So Spring's timing, much like God's, is perfect and wonderful.  Sunshine is just the needed dose of therapy I know so many are craving.

And yet, when the clouds come in, necessary for each spring shower, may we be reminded of God's love and promises to us.

Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; 

his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, 

as the spring rains that water the earth.”

Happy Spring, friends!

Faithful Friday: Hope Springs

Some seasons are harder than others, in life and on the calendar.

This winter was beyond a difficult season for us.  So many storms.  A hard, cold, bitter winter inside our house and out the window.  Seemed like as soon as we plowed through a heavy snow, and felt a clearing, another frost would arrive.  As I type, we are still in a season of struggle but I look ahead with hope. 

That is what spring brings...

Song of Solomon 

With each chirp of a robin, buds on our trees, and plants bursting forth among the decay from winter, we have promise of better days.  It is a season to sing of the hope that comes with spring!

For every day of sunshine, we know cloudy days will again come;  

but for flowers to grow, rain must fall.

This is the hope I cling to in difficult times.  Because who doesn't have trials, mountains, and valleys in this life?  If every day were glorious though, what would we long for?  

A season of winter just makes me appreciate spring even more.

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. -Proverb

In the bleak days of a trying season, I cling tighter to God.  I remember our most difficult times and see how He pulled us through.  So I know this too shall pass.  And good will come.  This I believe.

Just as with snowy days, I know sun will return.  While we've been cooped up indoors all winter, spring invites us to come outside.  To try again.  To return to happier days.  

My sleepy window boxes are beckoning me, fingers longing to claw in dirt.  Sun on the deck highlights the dust that needs to be swept away.  A fresh start.  Days on the water are calling to us, as we begin to prepare the boat. Much peace comes from a simple day out with a fishing pole.  

We weather the storms because we know what is on the way.  We can look past the pain and see the joy on the horizon.  That hope, the promise of our tomorrows, is what holds us in the difficult seasons.  

If your winter was a rough one, my prayer is that you can be comforted by this too.  Hold tight to the promises only God can offer.  No matter what this world may send your way, His light will overcome the darkness.

“The deep roots never doubt spring will come.” 

― Marty Rubin

Praying spring finds its way to you, friends...

Faithful Friday: Season of Singing

See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
Song of Songs 2:11-12

Spring has sprung!  I've been transfixed this week at how quickly the earth is awakening.  It seemed like overnight my pear trees changed from blossoms to bright green leaves.  The scent of wild onions and freshly cut grass envelop our neighborhood.  Everywhere I look, color is bursting forth.    It is truly a "season of singing!"

Of course, one of my favorites about spring is that the first butterflies of the season are happily fluttering by.  Butterflies have been very special and symbolic to me, since losing our son Austin.  Actually it is a symbol of Austin for many of my family and friends now.

My little yellow butterfly sends us these tiny messages, to let us know he's near. Those butterflies seem to float around at just the needed moments, whether it is a quick hello or a goose bump moment with perfect timing.  Spring brings us the promise that Austin is in a better place, yet always close by.

The spring season floods our memories of Austin, complete with days at the ball field and mowing.  It was his favorite time of year and so there are many moments we find ourselves longing to have him a part of the season's activities. 

Spring can be hard to face in child loss.  The sunshiny days don't always match our grieving hearts.  But I believe in the promise of Spring and that it is a symbol of our life anew in Heaven.  ...Where skies are always blue, birds are always singing, every beautiful display of God's work is filled with new life and color; it is where we are reborn.  And until we're connected there again, my happy little butterfly is but a glimpse of what awaits.

Spring Showers

I love spring...rainy nights, vibrant green grass, cool breezes, singing birds in budding trees.

In fact, it's my favorite season now, although it didn't used to be. 

I find hope in spring. 

A renewed spirit in watching the earth come awake. 

A peaceful connection.

As I smiled with each daffodil that I passed on the way home today, I was flooded with memories.

I went back to Austin's blog and searched for the word "daffodil" finding these two posts. 

It amazes me this will be our third spring without him. 

Thinking about that too heavily can spiral me right down into a winter fog if I let it. 

Instead, I realize that each tear is much like a spring shower, and is part of the season.

Reading these two posts reminds me of our sweet boy but also shows me how far we've come in beginning to heal.  The hole in our heart will never go away, just maybe a bit smaller with time and less raw.  Perhaps, if anything, it's just a choice we make in looking for the sunshine instead of the clouds, knowing that is what he would have wanted.

daffodils & dandelions

and

springtime memories