After a long and dreary winter, that first taste of spring is extra welcome. For the most part, we\u2019ve had gorgeous weather here the past few weeks, and it\u2019s made this girl happy, happy, happy!<\/p>\n
Springtime in the mountains of North Carolina is special. One of the first signs is the robins, their chubby red bellies a vivid sight as they fill the yards in my neighborhood. <\/span><\/p>\n I always wait with great anticipation for the weeping willies (as my young son called weeping willow trees) to put on their fresh outfit of soft green. I feel like spring has officially arrived when I see those long branches waving like a grandmother\u2019s shawl as the breeze hits them.<\/span><\/p>\n The angle of the sun has changed, and each morning when I look out the glass doors in my kitchen, I\u2019m treated to the sight of sunlight creeping slowly across the meadow behind my house, as if it\u2019s waking up for the day.<\/span><\/p>\n The grass is turning a bright green, so different from the drab brown blades that have been there for months. When I walk outside, the birds are singing their little hearts out as they visit the bird feeder, zooming in and out as steadily as the jets at a busy airport.<\/span><\/p>\n Farmers have returned to the fields on their tractors, working up the dirt, getting ready for their spring plantings. <\/span><\/p>\n Children are back in their yards, riding high into the air on their swing sets, tossing balls to each other and filling the air with the oh-so-priceless sound of their laughter. <\/span><\/p>\n The trees are budding out, lacy white blooms on the pear trees, weeping cherries in their soft pink attire, and other trees in a variety of green hues. The forsythia bushes are sporting bright yellow, and huge patches of daffodils decorate the sides of the roadways.<\/span><\/p>\n Oh my, it makes me feel good!<\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t ever want to take God\u2019s handiwork for granted. So today I want to thank Him for the gift of another spring, for days with warm sunshine and a soft breeze, for the eyesight to delight in the amazing beauty He\u2019s created, and for the hearing to enjoy the melodies of the birds, the rumblings of the tractors and the sound of children playing.<\/span><\/p>\n Stop what you\u2019re doing today. Look around and soak in the sights and sounds of spring. I think you\u2019ll discover just what I did<\/span>\u2013\u200bHe\u2019s an amazing God and His creation is beautiful beyond words.<\/span><\/p>\n For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come\u2026<\/em> (Song of Solomon 2:11-12)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After a long and dreary winter, that first taste of spring is extra welcome. For the most part, we\u2019ve had gorgeous weather here the past few weeks, and it\u2019s made this girl happy, happy, happy! Springtime in the mountains of North Carolina is special. One of the first signs is the robins, their chubby red […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":30294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[51,22],"ppma_author":[474],"class_list":["post-23307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-positive-living","tag-inspirational-stories","tag-spring"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n