The Seasons

Tomorrow, March 20, 2013, at 6:02am CDT, spring arrives in Wichita, Kansas.  Now, I know that there will be days of cold, frost, and maybe even a spit or two of snow, sleet, or ice before the final thaw of the season.  But you gotta admit the advance of the seasons is coming to the time of the year that is the favorite of most people.

Spring is the time of renewal, refreshing, and reconnecting.  We paint the back yard fence.  We fix the guttering.  We clean up debris left over from last fall.  And we work in the dirt, plant seeds and seedlings, and think about the summer harvest of strawberries, tomatoes, green beans, and other garden goodies.  We long for the blooming of the roses, daisies, and other assorted flowers and plants.  We break out the barbeque grill, refill the propane bottle, and roast hotdogs over the fire pit.  We sit out in lawn chairs and watch the dusk come, the fireflies light up the air, and the kids play hide and seek.

Birds that we haven’t seen since last summer come back.  Robins, hummingbirds, orioles, and a host of other varieties nest in our trees and help themselves to some of the produce of our flower and vegetable gardens.  Butterflies appear yet again.  The monarchs make their annual migration northward.  The swallows come back as do the bluebirds, purple martins, and woodpeckers.

We also keep an eye to the sky.  For this is the time of colliding air masses, turmoil in the heavens, and scary-looking clouds…some of which give good reason to be concerned.  We rehearse one more time where we will go if the winds threaten, and we listen a little more closely on those days when watches have been issued for the wail of the sirens or the announcements on the TV or radio.  We make sure we have batteries, emergency lights, and other needs.  And we plan at least somewhat accordingly even as we go about the tasks we have scheduled for that day.

Later on in the summer, we go on vacations.  We play softball.  We canoe on the river.  We send the kids to summer camp and enjoy the time without them.  We become more home-bound as the heat cranks up, but we still enjoy the occasional shower or thunderstorm that pops up and, for a time at least, cools the earth and the air.  We find a pool somewhere, in a back yard, at the “Y”, or a public pool, and we cool down and enjoy the rays of a summer sun.

All too quickly, it’s coming to an end.  A cold front moves through and drops the temperatures down to the 50’s.  There’s a chill in the air.  Leaves start to fall from trees.  Birds leave for warmer climates.  Other birds move in to replace them and stay for the coming winter.  The orb spiders spin giant webs at the corner of a house, in the garage door opening, or between a couple of bushes.  The air masses collide yet again, but with less intensity than spring, bringing mostly thunder and rain.

And we repeat the cycle all over again.  For eons this cycle of the seasons has renewed, refreshed, and replenished the earth and all that live upon, above, or in it.  I’ve already seen many more cycles of the seasons than I will experience in the future.  But each one is an adventure.  Each one is different.  Each one reminds me that there is indeed a God that loves and cherishes His creation.  Each one renews my soul.