SpRiNg FoRwArD!

 “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant:
if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”
~Anne Bradstreet~

This weekend Daylight Savings Time began.  While this time of year initially bugs me (who really wants to lose an hour of sleep anyway??), I end up really loving it.  I love to run outside, so the fact that it is lighter longer is very good for me!  But more importantly, this signals the start of spring! (I know, I am so observant.)  Everything and everybody seem a little bit more refreshed and full-of-life.

March 20 is the first day of spring this year…YAY!  I have to say - I think this is my favorite part of the year.  I. LOVE.  Spring.  The colors are brighter, the air is better, the sunshine is sunnier, my closet is cleaner, attitudes perks up, I use more exclamation points than normal (!), I try to be outside more, my Pinterest board stars livening up, and (best of all) the windows in my car are DOWN and my sunglasses are ON!  (As you can see, even the title of this blog has already perked up!)  Spring rocks.

I love the quote I put at the top of this post (don’t worry, it’s not completely random and I won’t read too far into it!).  Anne Bradstreet was a poet in the 1600’s, and she nailed it with this quote!  The first part of the quote rings especially true for me.  I HATE the cold, and for any of you that know me - I am ALWAYS cold, making winter the absolute worst.  There is nothing more pleasant to me that the temperature warming up!  How good is God, though, to give us a season of refreshing before we are totally cooked by the summer heat?  In the same way, how good is God to bring us out of hard times and refresh and renew us, our circumstances and our outlook?  I love what 1 Peter 5:10 says:

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,
who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore,
confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

This is so true.  God is faithful to bring us out of hard and difficult times to RESTORE us and STRENGTHEN us.  Cool!

So, while I am busy being excited at the fact that the temperature is steadily climbing (bring on the heat!), I can’t help but marvel at what I see all around me.  Nature is rejoicing that rain is beginning to fall, the cold is fleeing and the sunshine is coating it with its warm rays.  How beautiful!  I mentioned earlier that this weather generally gives my attitude a necessary pick-me-up.  I don’t know why.  Maybe because everything is more beautiful or just because spring means it is baseball season (yahoo!).  At any rate, I am SO glad it is this time of year!  Are you? 

peace, love and SPRING!
xoxo
jo