early this morning (as in 5am early) I woke up to two sounds – the first, Jackson crying. He’s been wakeful early in the mornings lately, which I’m not sure what to do about. The second sound was a constant chirp, almost like a smoke detector protesting its lack of battery power. It took me a few moments to realize that what I was hearing was a BIRD!
Yes, the birds have made their way back to snowy Minnesota. It may not quite be “spring” as we know it, but the snow is melting, the temperatures are warming up and I know that in the next month, the green mist of spring will spread across the brown and barren landscape of winter. I always think of the phrase “Aslan is on the move!” when winter starts to melt into spring. Not even the long, cold, icy grip of the past several months can hold over a sovereign God who appoints the seasons.
Our layers of winter clothes will soon be unnecessary and I’ll be able to break out my beloved sandals. 🙂 We’ll pull the deck furniture out of the garage and sit in the sunshine to eat our breakfast. I’ll hang diapers and sheets on the line and Jack will make mud pies.
Later this morning an entire flock of robins, mixed with a pair or two of yellow finches, purple finches, chickadees, starlings and blackbirds filled our chokecherry tree for a morning snack. Jack was enthralled and their morning song cheered both of us on this dreary day. Its heartening to see the bright colors of orange, yellow and pink in their feathers and know that this is the beginning of my favorite 8 months of the year.
