Spring Green

After the long snowy winter we had in Boone, I was so excited to see warm, sunny days! Thankfully, warm, sunny days bring new life as the earth begins to bloom again. Although the pollen was dreadful in Durham, it has not been bad in Boone. Therefore, the start of this spring has been an enjoyable one for me and a great time of reflection.

I took an American Literature class one of my first springs at Appalachian. The professor encouraged us to watch for the first sign of spring. He said it is so easy to miss. One day you just wake up and realize how much life the earth seems to have again. I never appreciated the first sign of spring until this year. Daffodils and Tulips always bloom first. The color that they brought when they bloomed this year was so refreshing.

Along with these lovely flowers come Bradbury Pear trees. They look pretty, but their smell is not so great. :) However, the sight and smell of them in the spring always bring memories of my days in middle and high school. For some reason schools like to plant rows of these trees up and down walkways around their campuses. Anytime I smell them, I am immediately back in school (pre-college) walking down the sidewalk with my friends discussing what that fish smell is. It never fails, every spring one of my best friends and I text each other the day the Bradbury Pear trees first start smelling. They bloom a lot later in Boone than they do in Durham. So, I had the privilege of smelling them twice this spring. Usually I close my nose and text Laura, but this year I took the smell in because I was thankful to be reminded of the beauty of new life.

Spring is quickly becoming my new favorite season.

I don't really have a favorite color. In my list of favorite colors, green usually gets mentioned near the end of the list. Like I said before, plants bloom a lot later in Boone than they do in Durham. So, although I have been enjoying the first signs of spring in Boone the past few weeks, it seems that Durham has been enjoying the beauty of the color green as they are much further along in the blooming process.

It has been about three weeks since I have been home. Spring seems to happen fast. So, as I pulled off the highway onto Cole Mill Road, the fullness and greenness of the trees was breathtaking. I have been enjoying the new blooms in Boone, but it was encouraging to be reminded of the fullness of new life that is to come in the color green.

This spring seems to be a very green one. And, hopefully the frost and extreme heat will hold off a while and allow the plants to flourish in health. However, the green I am seeing in Durham does not top the green I saw in South Africa. One day, before we transitioned to the last part of our three week trip there, we spent a day at a botanical garden. I was there in December, which is part of their summer months. It was already nice to be in a warm place in December serving the Lord and getting a tan (not that those two things are anywhere close to being equal). But, when we walked into that garden, the beauty of creation was like none I had ever seen and I've been to Yellowstone and live in Boone. I've seen some beautiful creation! What made this sight so different was the color green that was present. We could not stop talking about how green it was. Everything was so green.






These pictures do not begin to do it justice. But, it's the most my little digital camera was able to take in. After a picnic, we had a time of prayer for about 2-3 hours. Although this was the result of those 2-3 hours in the sun (can you tell that my face is the same color as the coke bottle?,
it was one of my favorite memories of the trip. The grass was so soft to lay in. The sun warmed our faces and the time we got to spend at the Lord's feet in prayer was humbling and refreshing as we rested, rejoiced, and worshiped in His creation. At some point during that time of prayer, I believe each of us got a power nap. That is one of the best naps I have ever taken. I usually feel bad for being sleepy at church or in prayer time, but I truly believe my rest there, in the garden with my Savior that day was a blessing from Him and re-energizing for my body.

Green is quickly becoming my new favorite color.

Lessons I've learned/been reminded of this spring:
New life is what the Lord gives us when we surrender and accept Him as our Lord and Savior.
We're going to have rough winters, but the newness of life after the winter makes us healthier and stronger in our walks with the Lord.
Christians who are full of life and "green" in their walks are encouragement to others of what is to come as we walk with the Lord.
They too will have rough days (pollen), but the cleansing from the Lord (rain) will wash all their troubles away.
Rest at the Lord's feet in His creation is necessary for a vital full walk with Him.
Life and this journey with the Lord won't always be full of color (easy and happy), but spring always comes and life blooms again (healing and restoration).

I'm sure there are many more lessons the Lord has prepared for me through His creation or that can even be pulled from these observations. I'm thankful that the Lord has a lot to teach us and He reveals His truth to us in a variety of ways. Spring green is what is reminding me of His awesomeness currently.