Springtime! Let the Growing Begin!

When the sun starts to shine a little brighter and the grass turns green and the leaves start to pop open on the trees, I like to be outside in the yard and garden.

Lilac buds

There's something about spring and garden planting that makes me think about hope and new life and promises kept. Something about planting a seed and knowing that by itself, it's just a small, dry piece of nothing. When it's planted and the sun shines on it and the rain waters it, it swells and grows into exactly what it was meant to be - a pumpkin, a pea plant, a carrot.

Garden greens peeking through

 Sometimes it looks like there is nothing there, but then a bit of green pops up, a flower blooms and then it's gone again for the rest of the season like this yellow lady's slipper.

Yellow Lady's Slipper

Others look small and delicate, like the lily of the valley, but they are persistent and will slowly spread over a large area if not contained.

Lily of the Valley

And then there's the so-called weeds, like the dandelion, that are their own little rays of sunshine and if we can put aside our preconceived notions about them, we can open our eyes up to see the beauty even in the unwanted.

Dandelion

As I look around my yard, in my garden and in the nature that surrounds us, I see the hand of the unseen creator and am thankful for the gifts of spring and hope and new life.

Happy Spring!

--Ann