Spring Has Sprung- I hope

Ah, spring, time of renewal. Summer used to be my favorite season- I once loved the heat- the hotter the better. But, now, I don't handle the heat as well as I used to. Each season has its good points- and its bad, but for the life of me, I can't think of too many bad points for Spring. Yeah, the pollen count is high,and almost everyone at my house has hay fever,but what's a little sneezing? The weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer, the trees are budding, and the seeds that I've planted are beginning to come up.The cold doesn't have us all stuck in the house,either.I love a good storm, and we've already had a few- and the promise of more to come.This is Mother Nature at her finest.

For me, personally, Spring marks a new beginning.I have a chronic pain condition, and Winter is hard.The cold causes untold amounts of pain.Spring, and the warmer temperatures, mean I can get out more, I can move better, and I can actually accomplish some of the things I want to do. It means I can look forward to watching my kids ride thier bikes, and we can take walks through the park.

It means the birds are nesting, and before we know it, there will be babies cheeping in those nests. Which, of course, means that sooner or later, all the neighborhood kids will be bringing me baby birds they've found on the ground. And I will have to explain to them that they need to put them right back where they found them- that they aren't orphaned, or abandoned, and the moms will still take care of them.I'll get to explain that it's an old wives tale that momma birds won't take back a baby that's been touched by human hands. Of course, they don't believe it until they actually see it- and then, they are amazed.

In some ways, I think my kids are pretty lucky. Although we have the computer, and video games, we(my husband and I) promote getting out and being active. While the other kids in the neighhborhood are glued to thier televisions and computer screens, our guys are out and about, doing what kids should be doing- playing. And to them, playing includes learning, especially when it comes to nature. They like to investigate under rotting tree stumps,and in streams.They enjoy rockhounding, and astronomy, and seeing the cycles of life and death that are put right in front of them by Mother Nature.

So yes, I think Spring has to be my favorite season. Everything feels new again- even though it's practically the same thing that happens each and every year. As they grow up, there is more to learn, more questions to ask,and more answers to discover. And that's what it's all about- discovery. As my kids discover more about life and nature, I discover more about my kids. So yes, I think Spring is definitely my favorite season.