Daffodils and the Orange Moon

One of my fondest memories of spring as I was growing up was visiting my grandmother's house. I may have written about her place before. She lived out in the middle of nowhere. The lane to her house was about a mile long--over a huge hill and then down in a valley. It sat on about 100 acres of land--surrounded by fields and trees. Her and my grandfather bought it to house their 5 kids back in the 20s or 30s. The house at that point was already 50 years old. They remodeled, built barns, made a pond and lived life. The house itself was your standard old farmhouse. Two stories with a suicide staircase and a fruit cellar. It was flanked on the East and the South by giant maple trees that had been planted back when they bought the homestead. By the early 80s they towered above the house, providing a canopy of shade. Gram's house was a perfect place in my opinion.

Every spring, the daffodils would emerge and turn her yard into a yellow lined paradise. Now, we're not talking about 10 or 20 plants. I would guess Gram had hundreds of daffodils planted all along the side driveway, around her house, and leading out to the pond in all different varieties. Even to this day, the images are burned into my brain.

For me, spring is my second favorite season, my favorite being fall. I like spring because of the newness it brings with the spring flowers, the magnolia tree in my backyard, and the green grass. I love the smell of the new life--that earthy, dew laden smell that exists after a spring shower. I love being able to use the front porch again (and the potential of the back deck at the new house.

Spring symbolizes to me the hope that God is faithful, that he will return life to his creation after the cold, long winter. Some days I really need that reminder to get up and get moving. I definitely need that reminder every day to keep my heart and mind focused on the right things.

Thank you, Lord, for the continual reminders that you are there. Thank you for the beauty of your creation that I am blessed to see every day--things like the spring daffodils and the orange moon both in the morning and evening yesterday. Thank you for the gift of grace and love--that always brings new life and good news. May we join with creation and celebrate who you are and what you have done for us!