I Love Spring
For those who read last month’s column concerning Jay’s surgery, it was rescheduled for May instead of April, so at the time of this writing I have no news. I thank you for continued prayers for a safe procedure and miraculous recovery, and for the sweet notes I have already received. I treasure your kind words and your prayers for my son.
Jay and I spent part of April in Northwest Arkansas so Jay could spend his birthday with his big brother. He loves playing pool with Aaron as well as visiting the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. Who knew he would be such an art lover! But oh, my goodness, the spring pollen in those Ozark hills caused both of us to land at the Urgent Care facility with respiratory problems.
And though we enjoyed our visit, we were glad to be back in Edmond on our little acre of land that we call home. I love the beautiful spring colors in our yard. Redbud trees, daffodils, lilies, forsythia, roses, and especially the lilac. It was a favorite of ours—my late husband and me. The first year the lilac bloomed after Carl’s journey to heaven, I went outside and caressed those fragrant blooms.
Suddenly a butterfly landed on a blossom near me and stayed as long as I did. A gift from heaven.
We also loved watching the fragrant blossoms of the moonflowers open late evening. They shine bright white all night under the moonlight and stay in bloom till the heat of the morning.
When the weather is nice, I enjoy sitting outside on benches that Carl placed under trees that he planted. Some days a brilliant red cardinal perches on a branch near me. Tradition says it’s a sign that someone in heaven is thinking about you. A sweet thought. Then I miss Carl eight times over—the number of years he will have been in heaven the end of this month. But there is such tenderness in knowing we sat on those benches together while enjoying this little gift of nature that God provided.
