Spring!

Though I like all of Mother Nature’s seasons, I greet the arrival of Spring with a giddy happiness that surprises me each year. When the days lengthen and my spirits pick up, I’m reminded anew that Spring really is my favorite season.  It’s chirping birds, sunlight, blooms in a cheery array of colors, trees with unfurling leaves, and fresh green everywhere I look. We're just at the start of the season and I have to look carefully to see the signs, but they are present everywhere, as in the tight buds of my backyard dogwood tree.

Last year, Spring arrived on schedule but with it came the ever-more-sure realization that my time as a full-time mama was coming to a close.  That development filled me with anxiety; at times it was hard for me to enjoy the season, which felt less like a beginning than an end.  I feared that I wasn’t ready.  Fast forward a year and I’ve had the time to adjust to my new status as mama of a college boy.  Better than that, it turns out that anticipation of his departure was far worse than the actual departure.  The year has been good.  He’s been happy at school; I’ve been happy at home.  So this Spring, I’m determined to embrace the season with no lingering anxiety about the changes coming my way.   Living in the moment is my biggest challenge and I’m prepared to take it on.

We’ve had a nice patch of sunshine and more signs of Spring arrive each day.  The peach tree is getting ready.

It is a treat to step out in the sunlight and see what the day’s sunshine and warmth has brought forth.  Welcome Spring!