Winter is Here, but Spring is Coming!

These late winter days remind me of a race where runners are straining toward the finish line. The end is in sight, but it requires such effort to get there.  

 Spring is coming, but it feels like it’s taking so long to appear. We’re getting a bit weary. We’ve been traveling this winter road for months now, bundling up with hats and scarves and boots.

But there are bright spots!

In winter, we look forward to Christmas with its colorful lights and joyful music, reminding us of Jesus, the true Light of the world.

Then there’s the first snowfall! I love watching snowflakes tumble to the ground at night under our streetlight. They land so gently. If you look at just the right angle, you can see that each snowflake has six prongs. No two snowflakes are alike!

I love the quietness of winter, when white snow blankets the earth. But as the final days of February arrive, I feel a little restless. I start longing for things to start coming alive.

There is life in these late days of winter. I just need to listen and look around. Birds are singing more exuberantly. Flowers are appearing! These Snowdrops by our front door have popped up and greeted me faithfully each winter for thirty years.

Things are stirring. Before life is outwardly evident, it is there. Maple trees don’t have any green leaves yet, but inside their trunks the sap is flowing. Maple syrup enthusiasts tap into the trees and collect the sap with plastic tubing that runs into buckets. They’ll boil down the sap to make yummy syrup.

With March almost here, the snow is melting, running onto the roads. My tires make a swishing sound as the car passes through the water.

Spring is coming! In the meantime, I’ll try to linger and savor the beautiful gifts around me right now. Like snowflakes, no two days are alike.