Springtime in M-town

Spring in the Mid-South is one of my favorite times. There is a small gap in the Memphis weather between the blistering cold winter and the scorching hot summer where for a few picturesque weeks the barometer stays in the high 70's to low 80's, a.k.a. perfection in a weather forecast.

Yards receive a makeover as the grass turns a glorious shade of Crayola green and flowers of every color suddenly burst out of their hiding places as if they had been waiting for an eternity. The perfect amount of rain falls which helps illuminate the array of colors already splashed over Memphis' canvas. The ever-present background breeze rustles the leaves in the trees with just enough force to make its presence known.

Bikes and roller blades are pulled from the shadows of dusty garages, the smell of freshly cut grass fills the air, and parents pushing their babies in strollers and dogs dragging their owners take to the sidewalks. Constant driveway car washing is a staple in my neighborhood as I am sure it is elsewhere. Invitations to crawfish boils and cookouts spread far and wide. People try to find things to do outside. We may be one of the unhealthiest cities in the United States, but you wouldn't know it right now.

This is one of my FAVORITES! It is like I told someone recently, you don't have to like crawfish to enjoy a crawfish boil. Like a lot of things in life, it is all about the atmosphere... friends, family, and a good time. And crawfish boils in the spring equal a good time. :)

This is my new toy. Me and my roommate each bought one! I am so excited to start riding!

Maybe it is the fact that we have all been cooped up for much of the winter season, more so this year than in the past seeing as it was unnaturally cold here, but one thing is for certain: everyone is nicer… friendlier… more joyful. Waking up is easier and smiling becomes more natural. More deep breaths are taken, more happy moments are created, and more fond memories are pondered. People wave from the windows of their cars and scream hello, arms flailing, from across the street. It is like a blanket of good mood has been draped across the city affecting everyone who is fortunate enough to be underneath it.

Do you think it is just the way we see things or all about how our surroundings make us feel that causes us to be so much more joyful and different? I think that is part of it, but I also think it is about the actual change. Spring is the refresher season, the clean slate season. It is the season of inspiration. Gorgeous weather makes people feel like they can start anew. I read in a blog somewhere about a "Spiritual Spring Cleaning" that takes place. Maybe that is one of the reasons God created the seasons. As the Earth experiences its different changes, so do we.

Nothing looks the same from one season to the next, and if you think about it, neither do we. A lot happens to us throughout the year. Think about the person you were last year at this time. Think about all that you have gone through, the people you have met, the places you have been, the things you have experienced. Are you the same as you were last spring? I know I'm not.

I would be willing to bet you have withered and bloomed, frozen and melted, and changed color quite a few times over the last year. Were there times when you felt like you had everything to offer and times when you felt too lacking or limited to give? Times when you wanted the whole world to know how you felt and times when you wanted to crawl in a hole and disappear? Times of glorious celebration and times of complete grief and mourning?

Yeah, we all have. Good and bad, they have one thing in common. They change us. These "things", i.e. events, people, moments, feelings, come into our lives, stay a while, some longer than we would like, and eventually go. Still, they all change us. It is funny how God works, isn't it? Everything is linked. Such opportunity to grow. Amazing…

Springtime is about change. What is not to love about that?

Go enjoy your season of change.

 

“You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its ridges abundantly, you settle its furrows; you make it soft with showers, you bless its growth. You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths drip with abundance. They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy, they also sing.” 

-Psalm 65:9-13

"For behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared in the land; the time has arrived for pruning the vines, and the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. The fig tree has ripened its figs, and the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along!"

-Song 2:11-13