Dear Reader:

The pink azalea bloom you see in the photo above is the last azalea bloom of the season. It is located right outside my “blog room” and catches my eye first thing each morning (for the last three mornings.) I finally walked around the garden and yard yesterday to see if I could discover any other azalea blooms still standing….but there were none….just this one beautiful pink bloom.

There is always a tinge of sadness to see the last vestiges of one season disappear before our very eyes. It reminds me of growth stages in life…once we leave one stage…we find ourselves in another season until it too ends casting us on to another…until, for us, the seasons are no more.

Early spring is so full of hope….there will never be the same fresh beautiful shade of green newness as there is in early spring…when all types of foliage cast off their dark brown or withered yellow leaves and stems producing the most magnificent new green-ness. It appears that the leprechauns “snuck” in during the night and brought Ireland’s green foliage with it.

Look at all the morning glory seeds popping up to say “hello.” When I went out to take their picture I noticed a young couple at the end of my driveway taking pictures of each other around the rose bush and fence. There was another couple waiting their turn.

“The beauty of a morning glory, is that of its patient wait for the sun to bloom in the morning!”

I was so proud! You know your yard has come into fulfillment when teenagers want to use it as a backdrop for Prom Night! I took both couples’ Iphones and snapped photos of them together/ separately….the expressions of  excitement on their faces made my day! Memories!

When we look at seasons as opportunities of spiritual growth….moving from one season to another…it is sometimes hard to let go, say good-bye to the previous season, especially if we felt comforted and secure in it.

One thing that has finally gotten through my rather thick Christian head is that we aren’t meant to stay stagnant. Life is not stagnant…it is always changing. Surely that must be in God’s Big Plan or we would stay “put” in one place with one family and one group of friends throughout our life on earth….but we all know that doesn’t happen.

For me….it has helped to think of seasons as seasons of blessings. This thought makes it easier to leave one situation and move on to a new, unknown one. If we know that blessings await us in whatever season we are in much of the fear of the unknown dissipates. God is creator of all seasons which means He is present in all.

Somehow knowing that God is taking the journey with us through life, through every season, helps during transition periods when we find it hard to give up the beauty of one season for the ambiguity of  the next.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 – King James Version 

3 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

So until tomorrow….Father help us accept change realizing that challenges might lie ahead…but also blessings. We are not alone.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*That sweet Gin-g returned with pasta….lasagna yesterday and it was out of this world! What is it about pasta that is so comforting, especially when we aren’t quite up to speed? A vase of beautiful fresh flowers were also left….I had thrown the last of my withered flowers out the day before and I hate not having fresh flowers in the house….perfect timing. Thank you for everything Gin-g!