Daffodils and Sunshine

There are daffodils blooming in my front yard.  They were there to greet me when I arrived home from Florida—the first flowers that I saw.  When I awoke the next morning and looked out my window, I noticed that the forsythia and quince were also blooming, a sure sign that spring had arrived in Boise.  Finally.  However, after enjoying the warm Florida weather, the temperatures in Boise were not quite what I wanted.  Yes, we did have a few days that passed 70 degrees, but mostly it was much colder and cloudy.

Somehow spring seemed to blossom on Easter morning.  Oh, it started out cold, 35 degrees Fahrenheit, but it was sunny and the temperature eventually reached high 70s.  A beautiful day.  Was it just the weather that affected my spring mood?  The end of the week was especially gloomy.  On Thursday, a church friend, somebody I had prayed with, died unexpectedly.  Sadness overwhelmed me—such a loss.  On Good Friday I participated in the service at my church.  Stories were told from the perspective of the people who loved Jesus—powerful and moving.  Three other women and I were the friends of Mary who went to the cross.  We moved to music—no words.  “Mary” was grief-stricken and collapsed at the foot of the cross—we supported her.  This was so emotional, affecting both us and the people gathered in the sanctuary.

What a contrast Easter Sunday was!  Joy filled our sanctuary; the Spirit moved among us.  I think we carried it out the doors with us (which is the way it should be).  Easter gives us hope, just as spring does.  It’s a time of rebirth.  I look at my yard, just beginning to come to life and I see possibilities.  Color punctuates the once gray landscape.  In the sunshine and color, I find renewed energy.  Now, if I can just apply this new hope to my life, I too can begin to blossom.