Spring Awakening.

I never was really a fan of Spring.

No really, I had myself convinced that I really didn't enjoy it. Fall was first-- natch, since my birthday resides squarely in the middle. It also contains my favorite colors, foods, and the beginning of school. Duh.

Winter comes next because, hello snow! And Christmas is wonderful, Christmas break is handy, New Year's is neat, and I really actually love Valentine's day too- all there.

Summer was third- real hot, but no school (a good and bad thing when I was young. Now I think... only a good thing). Lots of outside time, and just a more free feeling all around.

And then there is Spring. And for some reason as I look back, though I convinced myself that Spring was less than awesome, I always LOVED it.

I realized that this Spring is my 6th Spring away from Utah. And come on folks, Spring in Utah is really quite something. I have vivid and specific memories of the yard I grew up in blooming amidst the melting snow. Right now there are white, yellow, and bright violet crocuses blooming happily next to the waterfall about half way up the driveway. There are daffodils in great patches all through the gully and along the driveway. THAT is Spring.

(As a side note, I think of the yard, and think about how nearly each flower and tree that is there was planted by my Dad. What a special thing- what a wonderful legacy he has in that yard. And I suppose my summers full of playing and picking flowers and doing the dreaded yard work have more meaning each summer I'm away from them)

I always LOVED Spring in New York. It's like the city is waking back up from the winter sleep. There's new hope in the air. Florence too, felt this way. While the winter wasn't nearly as hard in Tuscany, there is still a real shift. I think there they begin to look forward to Olive oil Easter cake and Spring vegetables like the amazing black cabbage-- I like that as their seasons shift, their meals do too.

In Spring people are bouncier, and everywhere they wear inappropriately small amounts of clothing too soon, but they are thrilled to do it because it isn't dumping snow (though often there IS dumping snow in Spring, but it does melt).

And here in Kentucky, it is simply LOVELY. We have two magnolia trees-- one in front, one in the back yard. They are both in full bloom with bright magenta fading to light pink flowers. The birds are chirping and the grass is greening up. We have daffodils encircling our tree out front (how nice, some clever person planted them! Thank you previous 1225 B. inhabiters) and our hosta are breaking through the dirt to show their greeney faces. We've got weird little shafts of wild onion growing all over the yard, and the yard itself is actually mostly clover, which is flowering bright purple right now. We are refusing to mow til the pretty dies, then we'll begin that process. As soon as we start, we'll be mowing weekly til October, so we're holding off as long as we can.

So I guess the moral here is that with Spring comes flowers out of the dead ground. I know it is tired and we've heard it all before, but I DO feel a renewed sense of hope this Spring. And honestly, I'm not sure I lost hope, it just got bogged down in long nights, hard earth. The days are longer, and seeing the sky for more hours in the day is an important thing. God has crafted this season to be a reminder of our hope-- and how appropriate when we look towards Easter and the significance that holds.

In the end, maybe I DO like Spring. I find the season rankings greatly depend on which season I'm in, and how long I've been in it. Right now, Spring is number one!
(Though as a side note I will say Spring in Kentucky brings allergies like whoa, worse than anywhere else I've lived. But, so far, that has been true of EVERY season in KY/TN).

HAPPY SPRING!