The month of March was the third warmest on record here in Missouri. They told us that it wasn’t going to last but I had been lulled into the hope of an early spring.

I watched as the peach trees bloomed. I planted the cold-hardy veggies, and sneaked in a few of the later ones, too. The cherry tree burst into bloom followed by the pears. I was harvesting asparagus…in March! My water lily leafed out and floated gracefully over the heads of my fish and some tadpoles that have hatched out. Even the lilac began to bloom!

Then it happened. Not just a frost but a hard freeze! Predictions of lows down in the 20°s were realized. …And there was nothing I could do but watch.

I drove off to work and noticed all the tulip heads hanging. They looked as if they were deeply saddened. They seemed to be praying, every head bowed. The timing was perfect (as God’s timing always is). Holy Week.

Those flowers reminded me how only a few days earlier they had been beautiful and proud, rejoicing in the light and warmth of the sun… just like the people had on Palm Sunday so many years ago. I wonder what the disciples must have been thinking…”Ah, at last! He is getting the recognition and priase he deserves!”.

Jesus warned them repeatedly that he would die, that they would fail him. They just didn’t get it. My brain knew that the cold weather surely couldn’t be over yet… but I wanted it so badly. Then the cold streak hit and it has taken its toll.

The tulips bend almost to the ground in their sorrow. The disciples must have hung their heads like that in their shame. They surely all wanted had thoughts of their failure. They may have even wanted to kill themselves just as Judas did.

In the afternoon on my way home from work, SURPRISE, the tulips had raised their heads again. The sun had come out and got their juices flowing! They were not standing so tall and proud now… just a little bent. The Son came back to the disciples, too. He gave them hope again. They finally got it. They went on, humbled now, understanding what true sacrifice is. Understanding what Grace is. They had hope and humility and faith. They did go on living and spreading the Good News.

We are forgiven. We can start over again knowing that. We can raise our heads again. Jesus is here with us! We can keep on going in hope and in serivtude and in joy! Happy Easter to all of you, my friends.

I planted today. I had turned the beds earlier last week on a sunny day near 80°s. It felt so good to be outdoors working in the sunshine. I was sweaty and had to stop and rest now and then but I felt so alive! I never really feel alive until Spring comes along. I am like a Daffodil bulb resting in the earth, soaking up the winter rains and snowmelts enough to survive. They prepare me for the time when the sun will finally shine and the earth will warm and I can come out again to do what I am meant to do. Most of the time for me winter is somthing to be survived, tolerated, not enjoyed.

It was cold and windy this morning and rain threatened, yet I planted. Poking the peas down into the cold soil happily. Sprinkling the tiny lettuce seeds in the fairly straight rows I had just marked and then patting them into the earth. My hair was blowing all over the place and my fingers were almost numb but all was well with the world... at least at that moment in my mind.

It's raining now with a warm up to follow in a few days. I can almost see those little wrinly peas sprouting and reaching up toward the warm above... Busting through the thin crust at the very top into the sunshine. I'll bet they'd shout "Hallelujah! Spring is here!" ...if sprouts could shout.

I wonder if I would appreciate Spring (and life) so much if there was never winter. I wonder if I would appreciate God so much if my soul never experienced winter.

It has been the most beautiful Spring in memory. It came late, no false Spring this year to fool the daffodils, red buds and fruit trees into being nipped in the bud by frost. It went straight from winter to warm weather without those March and April cold and rain. Because Spring came late many flowers bloomed simultaneously. Everything came to full bloom starting witht the crocuses and daffodils followed by grape hyacinth, tulips, violets, peach, cherry and pear and Redbuds. The woods were full of Dutchman's Breeches, Jacob's Ladder and May Apples. Now it is the dogwoods, Sweet Williams which both make a beautiful contrast to the bright green seen everywhere right now. The Lily of the Valley are blooming, too, and they are so fragrant!

Even Beau came in one afternoon and mentioned how beautiful the flowers werer. Hey, when a 16 year old boy driving down the driveway notices the flowers it must be obvious. Even better he likes that we have been harvesting asparagus for a few weeks now...a favorite of all the boys, roasted in olive oil and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Thank you, Dearest Lord, for the beauty of the flowers and the colors of Spring. Thank you for the sounds of the Spring Peepers in the evening, the Whip Poor Wills in the dark, and the turkeys at dawn. And, Oh Lord, how beautiful it all smells as we wander through Spring. Thank you for making the beauty so wonderful that we just can't miss it! Now, dear Father, a little rain please....

The hail smashed into the windshield and then splattered into a blob of slush that the windshield wipers quickly whisked away. They clattered against the Jeep as we drove to church. Zeke let me out at the door as I pulled my raincoat close and grabbed my hat to keep it on my head in the wind and rain. An icey marble hit me right on the knuckle and it hurt!

I praised God for the much, much needed rain after the dryest February in recorded history of this area. I also thanked him for slipping in that, much needed before the deluge, day of warmth and sunshine yesterday. By the time we left church the rain seemed to be winding down.

We headed out to lunch with the family and then split up to our varied destinations after. Beau and I were headed to the local retirement home with the church Youth Group to play Bingo. It was raining again and as we drove back on from the city we heard the first tornado warning. It was for the county which we had just departed but Angus and Zeke were still there shopping for shoes.

I met up with Sheila at the church where the Youth were to gather. It was still early. The rain was pouring down and there was more hail. Tornado warnings were sprouting up all around us but we didn't know it. We just stood staring out the big window at the storm. It eventually subsided and we headed over to Westbrook.

There were a couple of kids there already waiting for us and Beau and Sheila's daughter Courntey with us so we decided to go ahead with the fun. Two more kids showed up a few minutes later. Not a great turn out but under the circumstances; not too bad.

The old folks were gathered in a room just having been dismissed from "taking cover" during the last T. warning. They were not being allowed to leave this room because they were to keep gathered in case there was another warning...another storm was predicted to pop up right behind the first. We quickly set up some tables as the folks watched us half-interested. I wished I was somewhere else...like at home by the fire.

I was the caller as the kids sat at the tables with everyone else and played, too. It was quiet at first but after the first "Bingo" everyone began to loosen up. We had brought silly prizes and found that, just like with the kids, candy is the favorite!

I accidentally popped open the Bingo ball cage from which I was pulling out the numbers. The little numbered balls bounced all over the floor and that got a pretty good laugh as I scrambled around after them. We played about 45 minutes and by the end everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, including the teens that had shown up in spite of the storm! Most of the folks stopped to thank us as they headed off to their rooms and we cleaned up. The activities director thanked us as well, telling us how edgy the folks were about the storm and the possiblity of the tornado and how the Bingo had taken their mind off of their worries.

Sheila and I had almost canceled the trip when the storm was at its worst. It had seemed to be clearing off and we had been unaware of the Tornado Warning in our area, so, although delayed, we set out to see. God's timing is perfect and we got there just in time to do what was needed. We thought we were playing a silly game but in reality we were showing some worried people that there must be nothing to fear. God so often puts me in the right place at the right time!

Today was the year's first perfect early-Spring day. Part of the perfection was it's being a Saturday, a day for play-work instead of pay-work. I was up early and I could hear the birds singing and predicting the beauty of the day. I poured a cup of coffee and stepped outside. I was not disappointed..it was really here! Spring was in the air! I could feel it and smell it and hear it!

Angus fixed biscuits and gravy for the still morning-groggy boys while I made biscuits. He was anxious to get outside, too, and didn't even wait til breakfast was over. I saw him slip away and noticed him outside raking last autumn's leaves off of the back lawn. I cleaned up breakfact and wasn't far behind him. Cleaning out the shed was my goal but I soon found myself helping Angus with the leaves. I was annoyed with him for burning his pile of leaves instead of composting them and he suggested that I was welcome to come and take them wherever I wanted to. Beau helped me drag a tarp piled high with leaves up to the garden but I knew I wouldn't be able to make that trip many times. I took several more, smaller loads up the hill before I gave up and decided to just rake them into the creek. We finished the yard and were into the cleared part of the woods....the part that we mow once or twice a year to keep the underbrush from taking over. Angus wasn't even raking now just burning the leaves where they were. I was raking around all the trees as fast as I could before the tiny flames could singe them.

It was warm out but a gentle breeze was blowing enough to cool us a bit and keep the leaves burning. It felt good to work and be outside and to be with Angus and Beau. In my mind I could look at the blackened earth and see the grass that would grow from it with the rain that is expected tomorrow. I knew that as awful as it appeared right now in the weeks that followed the fire will have gotten rid of the dead leaves and brush and allowed for the rejuvenation of the grass that will be peaking through the ground in only a few days. I could imagine sitting on the back sipping my morning coffee and gazing into the cleared woods at the blankets of Sweet Williams, Wood Violets and the umbrellas of the May Apple leaves.

I thought how hard life seems sometimes and all looks so dark and dead and it looks as if there is no hope ahead. But, there is hope, even when it can't be seen... except in our imaginations or our dreams. And life begins to sprout some green again, soft and thin and weak at first but the love of our friends rains down on us and the love of our God shines down on us and soon we will grow stronger and thrive again and we know that there will be color in our lives again too.

I get philosophical when I work for fun and joy, using muscles that have grown winter soft and standing in soft smoke that twists up into the sky.... The first perfect Spring day of the year.