Bless the seasons

Fall and winter have always been my favorite seasons of the year. I just feel like most people are more jolly during these two seasons. My experience has been with the cool weather of fall and the cold of the winter that people always come in the house or whereever, laughing, shuffling their feet, hugging their shoulders and asking, "where's the hot chocolate?" or "where's the heat?" When it is hot, as in the "dog days" of summer, people are hot and sweaty, and most of the time grouchy, Including me. Bythe way, what are the "dog days" of summer and where did that term come from? If you know, send me an e-mail.

Anyway--this past winter, for whatever reason, seemed to be hard on me. I have gone to my kitchen windows time after time and looked out to our back yard. It looked desolate, and unkempt. There were no winter birds to make me smile at their antics. I just knew the roses in my rose bed were dead and never to bloom again. My crépe myrtle trees just sat there seemingly looking back at me and saying, "why haven't you taken better care of us? Look at the shape we are in. You think we are going to bloom for you in this season?"

Then there are the trees with all their broken limbs from the big ice storm of 2009. How pitiful they look. Yes, everything seemed to look nasty to me.

Then on my way hone from work a few days ago, I noticed the jonquils peeking out from the soggy earth. Next the tulips jumped up with their vibrant and silky colors. One day as I was approaching our house I noticed the barberry shrubs looked more colorful and fuller than in several years. In fact, my plans were to pull them out and replace them this summer.

But, whether my imagination is pulling tricks on me, or for real, they look better, I think I will keep them for another season.

One morning I looked out my kitchen windows, and it seems overnight my roses came to life and it seemed they were saying to me, "takes a lot more than a few cold spells to do away with us. Just look how beautiful our foliage is, and if you think we are beautiful now, just wait for our gorgeous blooms to show off."

Now it seems the crépe myrtles are saying the same thing. The trees. Those poor, pitiful crippled trees that took such a beating. They are shooting out green leaves and covering their disabled parts and standing tall and fuller in all their splendor to do their jobs for the spring and summer. They will be housing young families of all species of birds, giving us fruits and all kinds of spring colors. Wish I could rise to the moment when I have been disabled by circumstances of life the way these all do.

Those of you who know me, know I don't do "hot" very well at all. Therefore, I am not looking forward to the "dog days" of summer. I can tell you though, I don't know when I have enjoyed the beauty that spring is bringing us as I am this season.

You know it takes male and female even in the plant world to give us the needs and beauty we receive from trees and plants. So yes, this week my heros and heroines are the almost magical trees and plants that grow in our very own yards. My main hero is my Heavenly Father who saw to it that we have these beauties to enjoy so freely.

See ya next time somewhere in a Korner.

REMEMBER: WAIT ON THE LORD: BE OF GOOD COURAGE, AND HE SHALL STRENGTHEN THINE HEART: WAIT, I SAY, ON THE LORD. (PSALMS 27:14)

kdover28@gmail.com or 573-820-2404.