This is my favorite time of year. Green grass, new leaves and blooming flowers on branches, flowers popping their heads out of the ground, weeds and grass to waiting to be mowed.
While swinging in my hammock, I watched the birds fly from branch to branch doing what birds do. I’m pretty sure I have a female cardinal being wooed by her beautiful, red husband. Soon, baby bird eggs will fill a nest.
The squirrels have been busy running along the top of the neighbors wooden fence and jumping from branch to branch. My cat, Pippin, sits watching them, sometimes readying himself to launch, as if he could really catch one.
My porch swing is my favorite place to sit. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, I’ll make coffee and take it out to enjoy watching the entertainment that is my backyard. Sometimes, it is still cool enough that I’ll sit with a small throw over my lap, as I sway back and forth.
As a teacher, I can tell spring fever is definitely in the air. It’s too early to start counting down to the summer break, but while sitting at recess, it’s very hard to convince ourselves to come in on time.
Spring is both renewal and growth. What an amazing God we have! The cycle of life, like the seasons, allow us the chance to renew, grow, strengthen, and rest.
I watch my dog, Zoey, of fifteen years try over and over to jump on the couch. As a young Jack Russell there wasn’t a piece of furniture that she couldn’t leap onto. Now, it takes her four to six jumps to finally get on the couch. I don’t help her because the jumping is giving her exercise before she settles down to sleep. Where once fetching the ball knew no limit, now she’ll only go after it about five times before she wears out.
Her time as my companion is deminishing even as her bathroom time during the night is increasing. We’re up at least twice a night for a potty break. She walks stiff legged because of arthritis in her hips. Her once brown hair is graying. She’s cycled through the seasons going on her sixteenth time.
I’m describing my dog, but I could be describing all of us as we get older. My mom, my brothers, my friends and me! More of my coworkers every year are much younger than myself. There are still people my age working, but retirement takes more of them each year. My own retirement is less than counting on two hands, which feels a bit odd.
No one knows how many days we have gifted to us in this lifetime. I think of John and how early in this life that he left us to go home. His middle age was barely twenty-two and he never got through living his retirement although he did plan it. I think of my friend whose son left far too early. We all know loved ones whose time on this earth was far shorter than imagined.
If we knew how many years we had, life would be lived differently. We wouldn’t worry about the petty, small, not worth loosing sleep over…comments. We wouldn’t take work home. We’d love more. Compliment more. Give more. Touch more. Laugh more and appreciate the beautiful seasons that God blesses us with.
We’d find our favorite place to sit and enjoy the beauty unfolding in front of us.
As the season of renewal plays out and settles into summer, I’m not planning my future too far out this year. I don’t have a summer trip planned which is unusual for me. I’m not sure what’s different this year, but it feels as if I simply should be resting, so I’m hesitating….waiting…watching…simply taking a day at a time. Renewal and allowing growth to come as God allows.
Thanks for reading friends. I’ve felt a need to write, so I simply let my hands type.
Life Continues 