Spring

I walked to class this morning coatless and in flip-flops. Not only was it absolutely a gorgeous day, sun shining, cool, humid breeze blowing against my face, but the grass was GREEN! Now, granted, this year, it never actually turned brown, it was literally green straight through the winter, but you could see the little lime green baby grasses growing up against the darker green grass.

My first 2-hour 8 am class back from Spring Break let out an hour early, and I bounced back home, eager to get some housework done before my next class. But as I emerged from Torrey-Grey, I stopped short and gasped when I saw the trees up close. They had buds on them!! I must admit, I squealed, and nearly started skipping out of sheer delight. There’s nothing that brightens my spirits more than springtime. I love green, living things, and I love warmth and sunlight.

So yesterday, I was in my glory! It was almost 80 degrees (and a lot hotter than that in our apartment with no air, and floor-to-ceiling windows fully facing the sun), and Stephen and I walked most of the way back from church (about two miles), talking the whole time about the sermon and the class following that. The sunshine was so glorious that I barely noticed the blisters on my feet, and we ended up talking for four hours straight! We were then joined by another couple on Moody’s grassy knoll (in the sunshine:-) and engaged them for another two hours, after which we then stayed up til midnight talking! Communication is one of the most beautiful gifts God has given us, and the floodgates just opened up yesterday. We talked about everything from church politics, to personal convictions, to missions work, to God’s sovereignty, and more! Then we concluded our evening by talking about how we met—which was this very thing—talking about God for hours and hours! That was how we fell in love, and when things get busy, or our convictions or beliefs might become controversial to discuss, we tend to (okay I tend to, we don’t do controversy or confrontation in my family, ask any of us!) not communicate as deeply as we should. Stephen said the sunlight does something to me, it completely opens me up and I talk a mile a minute. It’s a good thing he likes hearing me talk. This is why I’m so thankful for the seasons. We don’t appreciate things like green grass, leaves, and sunlight as much if we have it all the time, I think. But the winter’s cold and harsh weather gives us a longing for life, growth, and nature, it seems. Spring is like a reminder of new life and growth in Christ, of coming out of the spiritual deserts into the mountaintops, of rain and then sunshine that follows. It's a beautiful pictures, and I'm super thankful for it!