First Day of Spring
/I love Spring. I become giddy. My heart bubbles, really it bubbles, with joy when I see buds on trees or the green stems of eventual flowers peaking through the dark cold earth. Where plants that have been dead or hiding know it's safe to come out again. I took plant biology at some point, so could bore you with all the details of how on a cellular level the plants know it's spring, but will not. You're welcome. Just know it's pretty amazing. Spring is God's renewal of His creation, pointing us towards what His ultimate and perfect renewal of His creation will look like.
For this reason I love Spring and I love flowers. My favorite flower is an orchid. I received my first orchid in the spring after Marcus's death. In transport a dear friend, who shall remain nameless for her sake, accidentally destroyed one of the orchids while getting into the taxi. I was irrationally sad. At the time everything felt like life or death (like being a teenager again), so I mourned the orchid. I cared for the other orchids always wishing all could be right or renewed. Eventually a new stem grew below the broken spot in the old stem and around Easter weekend a new orchid bloomed. At the time many emotions were culminating which will be discussed further in my next post, but this orchid became a symbol for what the Lord was doing in my heart. My heart was broken and destroyed, but He was causing new growth and there would be beauty again in my heart and in my life.
Today, three years later, there are four orchids in my home. I water them and give them sun. Some have not flowered in more than six months. In the same way, God is caring for us expectantly anticipating the new growth and beauty there will be in our life. He is such a patient and loving Father. Just this past month, a beautiful purple orchid began new growth and is flowering. My heart leaps to see it in the morning.