Why I Need Spring

Call this post Spring Fever 101 or whatever you wish, but a recent moment of quietude brought to mind why we all NEED spring.

If you all endured the winter we just did and still survived, you know what I'm talking about. This winter will be one we'll be talking about for a while. I'm taking it upon myself to hand out medals of honor for those of us who survived with our sanity intact. And while that may be a s-t-r-e-t-c-h for me some of us, sanity still remains.

What are the things I look forward to this spring? What are the things I need this spring?


1) Easter. You need a good Easter to look forward to after a humbling journey through Lent. The journey of 40 days sometimes seems to be the longest liturgical journey, my friends. It should be celebrated with something as amazing as an empty tomb and a resurrection. My thoughts of Easter have always been equated with girls in bonnets, springy dresses and pastel colored baskets of goodies. (Besides all of the other liturgical highlights, obviously) And Easter definitely means Spring.


2) Healing. I find that over the last week as the snow has been melting, a part of my heart found a wound in need of healing. The part of me that was covered and forgotten as the winter lingered and the snow piled up. The piece of me that lost my dear papa in December needs to go visit 'him' in the cemetery. Perhaps it's closure, but most likely it's facing the spring time and family time that does not include his face or presence. That place where his absence is felt, but healing begins.


3) An outdoor run. After a winter of hibernation and getting by with walking and miles of it indoors, I'm ready for outside workouts again. Namely, some good outdoor runs with the breeze on my face and my feet hitting the pavement. There's just something about spring that helps bring about new changes and old familiar ones back into place.


4) Color. Nothing quite says spring like the budding trees, the brown grass that eventually turns green and the green in my flower beds that peaks out of the soil. One of my absolute favorite things to look forward to each year.


5) Flip flops, sandals and slip-ons. I just love the carefree easy style of footwear in the spring/summer. With so many cute styles coming out, how will we choose?!


It's true, without a winter there would be no spring. Or without the pain of a winter, there wouldn't be much joy in the celebration of spring.

I guess when it comes down to it, I'm a Four Seasons gal. I need them all and the turning from one to another has become a part of my life.

I just wish I could select which ones would last longer and those that would disappear a bit sooner.

What are you looking forward to most this Spring?