winter to spring: a Resurrection reflection

dear pretty white stuff on the ground,
your time is over and winter is done.
please go away till Christmas cheer,
we seriously need some warmth this year!


I awoke from a glorious dream about returning to England (beautiful, summery England), to find a cover of white upon the ground. Normally I would jump for joy that it had snowed during the night. But this morning my heart grew sad. Warmth will come, I am certain of it...the sunshine speaks of warmer days in its golden touch. (Also, Mom, if you read this, I am still thinking of Frederick!)

It is only March; there is much time left in this transition the northern hemisphere makes between winter and spring. I have never wished for summer like I am wishing right now. Winter is my favourite season, but that's only if there is lots of snow. Now, here at the season crossroads, all of my being longs for warm sunshine, fresh breezes, and the scent of flowering trees. With all the snow melted (well, most of it since it snowed again), one can truly see how barren the earth is beneath the cover of white.

This transition time is so perfect for the season of Lent, because it is during this time that we remember the transformation we have gone through as God's children and will go through when He takes us home. The cold winter strips away anything living and reveals the barrenness that mirrors our human souls, but the snow comes to cover the earth and make it white. Jesus came and took all our sins upon Him, covering us and making us white. We are still upon this earth, still broken sinners, but He has taken them from us. And then in the springtime all things begin to grow again, being fed by the warmth of the sun and water from the melting snow. Suddenly, sometimes overnight, the brown and gone and has been replaced and enhanced with riotous greenery. Spring has sprung! We are like the springtime in the Resurrection, because we too will be made new, having been washed by the blood of Christ. When we enter His kingdom, spring has sprung. And celebrating Easter, Resurrection Sunday, in the springtime is perfect.

A poor analogy for what will truly be the most glorious moment, but one that makes me smile. Being able to visualize (in a sense) our salvation is incredible. God created this world, so why shouldn't it reflect Him and His plan?

think spring!

Here in the upper Midwest, spring feels like it will be a long time arriving. Those of you who know me are well aware of how much I love winter and snow. But we have reached the end of February and the two warm days last week completely ruined me for the cold weather. I am ready for open windows and fresh breezes.

Spring is not my favourite season, I will admit. But my green thumb is itching and I decided on this frigid morning to write a list of things that I like about the green season. :)

• Early spring brings crisp breezes and a hint of warmer air.
• The house at last can be opened up and fresh air washes away the feel of being closed-up.
• Spring rains smell of sweet new life.
• FLOWERS EVERYWHERE.
• The cold ice-melt running in the creeks and rivers.
• Sunshine before 7 A.M.
• Baseball season!
• Did I mention open windows?
• Taking early morning walks before the world is fully awake.
• Taking evening walks with my hubby when the sun is setting.
• Sitting outside with my coffee and a book as the sunshine reaches the deck in the morning.
• Practicing yoga outside on the deck instead of inside where my cats attempt to sleep on top of me while I am posing. :P
• The feeling of being able to eat lighter fare and be satisfied.
• Wearing just a hoodie and being warm.
• Oh yeah, open windows.

So you can see that I really want to open the windows and get the fresh air into my house. I feel so much more invigorated when I am in the fresh air, but when the temperature is hovering somewhere around zero or below....that just plain hurts.

I have some great ideas for the blog, but a few of them involve the great outdoors, so...as per the weather here in beautiful Wisconsin, they will have to wait. In the meantime, I found a fantastic sewing shop in downtown Plymouth that has pretty much only cotton fabrics for quilting but that would make some fantastic dresses and skirts! So stay tuned...once I dig out my sewing machine...

colour my world/a Lenten musing

The first three photos were taken in summer of 2011 (I think) at my family's home in Illinois. Currently,  I miss colour. The world is white and brown, which is beautiful of course, since we all know I adore snow. But February is nearing its end now; I find myself longing to see green buds on the trees and hear birds singing in those trees. We have another snowstorm coming; exciting as always. But as I page through my Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog and pick what I will grow this year, I wish I could open the windows and feel a warm breeze. Spring breezes have a certain scent to them. I don't mean the ones that smell of manure and farms! I mean the other ones, those that smell warm.

Lent is also upon us. We sang the hymn in that last picture both on Ash Wednesday and last Sunday. When Lent comes so early, it's a bit of a shock; we think of Easter as being in the springtime. And it will be -- it comes on the last day of March. Easter, that is. So perhaps Lent being so early isn't a bad thing. As winter holds on and spring struggles to break through, we can be reminded of our Lord and Savior's struggle with Satan and death and how He won, just like spring overcomes winter each and every year.

Yes, I love winter. I kind of hate summer. Autumn is awesome. But spring is a good time to be contemplative, and that's something I look forward to as the weather warms up.

Sound and Silence

Greetings from Lake Michigan! It is 62 degrees and sunny; a simply gorgeous day.

Yes, I know. It has been spring for nearly a month now. But who's counting? Spring in Wisconsin in almost nonexistent. Nothing but winter, winter, winter, mud, then -- BAM -- it's summer.

That's not the point of this, however.

Have you ever noticed how the world is so much quieter in the wintertime? There is a silence that blankets everything, like the snow that blankets the grass, trees, and houses. The wind does not sweep through the trees with the same sound; there are no leaves. There are no birds singing; they spend winter in warmer climes. There is even a silence where you expect to hear the bugs and insects.
In the winter, though the white snow is one of the most beautiful sights, the world is dead.

And then in the spring we see the grass once more, though it may be brown and lifeless for a short time. But suddenly the world awakens! You can blink and the green appears. Birds sing once more, leaves bud on the trees that no longer look barren and haunted. No longer is the world silent.

What a perfect picture of resurrection! It is no wonder that we celebrate Easter in the springtime. Just as the world dies in the autumn and appears lifeless all winter, Jesus Christ died on the cross on that first Good Friday and was dead in the tomb for three days.
Just as the world awakens to new life each spring, Jesus Christ rose from the tomb, fully alive, on that first Easter morning.

Cherish the changing of the seasons, just as God cherished His fallen creation enough to send His only Son to die a horrible death and rise again that we might receive eternal life with Him.

musings no. 2

The fourth week of school has begun. This isn't the halfway point, but it is the halfway point to the halfway point! This is a good thing. However, somewhere in the middle of last week, I began to lose most of my original motivation. This is not a good thing. I'm struggling to recover this motivation, but it has disappeared without a trace. Now, I certainly do not mean that I'm not doing my homework, completing it on time, and turning it in! Goodness, that would be so uncharacteristic of me. No, I just mean that it has become rather difficult to sit down and begin the homework. Once I've started, it isn't so bad. Especially when I have good music to listen to. (Movie soundtracks work well for this sort of thing.)

Part of the issue is that the weather is changing. Autumn is my second favorite time of year, following winter. Yes, winter is my favorite season. Don't judge me! You see, I am not a fan of summer, because I don't have much use for hot weather. I hate summer clothing, I really do. Shorts are not for me, nor are tank tops or sandals. That's just the truth. And I can't stand getting a lot of sun, because I burn easily and also I don't like having a tan. So when the weather changes and the coolness of fall sweeps in, I bask in it. I love my hoodies and jeans. Bonfires are, of course, a must. And then there is the hallmark of fall -- the leaves losing their uniform green look and becoming a blaze of reds, oranges, and yellows. Who doesn't love that?? God's creation truly is amazing.

So yeah, the weather's changing, and I'd prefer to be outside enjoying it, rather than inside studying. As much as I love Latin and my other classes....right now, it's extremely hard to pay attention to what I need to be doing. I suppose I could take advantage of the cooler weather to curl up under a blanket with a cup of apple cider or tea and read my homework. That's not such a bad alternative.