Budding

For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. ~Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Winter can be a really bleak time of year. It can feel like the world around me is laying in dormancy for what seems like much longer than all the other seasons. When the leaves finally fall off the trees here in the fall, they stand out against the brilliant whites of snow and seem naked & desolate under the low grey skies.

Their appearance of lifelessness sometimes leaves me with a feeling of sadness as I observe them from a distance. Like a strong stubborn will is the only thing that holds them in place and that one strong wind could swoop them away out of their position as they patiently wait for spring.

But then I look closer. Even in the cold temperatures of -10 Celcius or more, something is happening. They have begun their transformation already and the tiniest buds have started to appear. Slowly, as the temperatures warm over the next few weeks, these buds will get bigger & stronger. The strong & stubborn tree nourishes them & protects them in their birth. The journey towards spring comes at a snails pace but if you arent' paying attention, it can be upon you in an instant. A green shoot here, a stubborn bud there. I see it already!

I was out pruning my lilac bushes on Friday afternoon right after work. Most of them had tiny new buds all over, which made it easier to decide where to prune but I got to one bush & its buds were large, plump and held the slightest tinge of green. I chastised this particular bush & informed it that it was still the middle of January and that it ought to slow down a bit. Perhaps these bushes are eager to show off for us, being that we bought this house in October & have not had the opportunity to see what sort of lilacs will show come spring.

Still, I'm not in that big of a rush for spring! I do love seeing all the signs that it is on its way. It will be an exciting spring for sure because everything that pokes through the dirt here on our new property will be a surprise.

But everything in its time. I know the winter is not quite past, there are no robins singing yet & there are definitely no flowers appearing up in my yard yet. But I'm so thankful the Lord gives us seasons so that there is always something great to anticipate in the next one.

He has made everything beautiful in its time

~ Ecclesiastes 3:11