My kids love spring.One of the best things about living in Northeast Ohio is the very prominent change of the seasons. In the south, where I grew up, winter turns to summer almost immediately. First you have on your winter coat, then suddenly you’re sweating and you have to turn on the A/C. Living here -- where the seasons change gradually -- is nice.
When the first crocuses burst awake from their winter sleep, my girls get so excited. They run inside, grab my hand and haul me out to the flower bed to see what they call “an amazing, wonderful surprise!” I love the way they are thrilled by such small things. I could take a lesson.
Putting away the gloves, scarves, hats and mittens is a welcome chore. We clean out and clean up.
We get out new clothes. We sort. We buy new flip flops. We get out all of the summer stuff that’s been hiding in the garage.
We hang little plastic eggs on the cherry tree in our front yard.
We anxiously await the first tulips to poke their heads through the mulch, then we spray them with “Rabbit Scoot” to protect them from those furry little nibblers that invade us every year.
We go to sleep listening to the deafening chorus of spring peepers in the pond behind our house.
We get dressed in our Sunday finest and take pictures in our Easter dresses and hats next to the bright yellow daffodils (the kids and I do, anyway… my husband loathes both wearing suits and taking pictures. Men.)
We break out the white vinegar and food coloring and proceed to decorate (in other words, waste) two dozen eggs purely for aesthetic and recreational purposes.
In the process, we end up talking about Jesus, his death and his resurrection.
My 6 and 8 year olds are somehow able to relate the Easter story to spring itself. They talk about new life. About how seeds die – how things sleep through the “death” of winter, then get raised up again in the spring. How things come back to life. They say what a wonderful hope it is for all of us - even for the animals and the trees and the flowers.
I am once again reminded how much smarter they are than I am!
Spring truly is a new beginning. How refreshing it is to know that everything can be made new again.
Happy spring to you and your family.
from my 4/8/12 article for www.mentorpatch.com
