I love the South in the Spring!  It is just one of my favorite times.  One of the things I love best is watching for the last winters.  The resurrection of Spring may start with the redbud trees bursting out everywhere.  The buttercups are right there with them.  Everything gets excited to come out again!  Then immediately, everything steps back for one more moment to recover from this explosion.  And so our redbud winter is born!  With each resurrection, there comes the recovery until summer is here.  Moments in our lives are very much like these winters of Spring.  We have resurrections when we rise up, and then we fall into a recovery time until the next resurrection.  This recovery time is one of learning and growing to gain a better understanding of ourselves and others.  The resurrection time is one of celebrating that learning and growth!  As the winters come about this Spring in your life, appreciate your recoveries and be ready for your resurrections! 

The Last Winters

Your dark, small limbs peek out from behind the others.

The redbud blooms you make are a deep, magenta.

You are striking amongst the tall cedars.

These beauties along with the buttercups kick off the Spring!

And end the last winters.

Within days and just weeks,

Tender petals start bursting out.

Your small statue means nothing this time of year,

Because your dogwood, snow white petals signal it is Easter.

Another frost will still come so yet another winter comes and passes.

Then as the days lengthen.

The locust trees tower above the others.

Their white flowers fall through the sky like snowflakes.

They are tall and lanky.

They tell of the next winter in the South.

As all things green,

You decide too bloom and stand out more.

Your vines climb together.

They make beautiful bouquets,

But even better after this winter the blackberry fruit will be delicious!

As we start to be outside more,

The large, heart shaped leaves of the catalpa trees come out.

They signal one of the south’s last winters.

Their large, white bell-shaped flowers hang in clumps.

The blooms lay on the leaves like Egyptian queens.

These sounds will signal one of the last winters in the holler.

Whippoorwills call out letting us know one of the last frost may be on its way.

Tender seedlings are covered and safe.

The sound is soothing and haunting at the same time.

These little ones let us know another winter has passed.

We smell these delicious flowers next to the last winter,

Before we see them.

Their yellow and white blooms are so sweet.

The honeysuckle vines twist and wrap everywhere.

Giving us the sign that summer is about to be in full blast!

Now as the last Spring chill blows through,

The last winter shows its cooling charm.

Britches winter tells us to get rid of the winter pants,

And break out the summer cottons!

Because there will be no more winters in the South this year!

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

I hope you enjoy the Spring winters as much as I do this year.  My hope is that you can see this as a time of learning and growing.  I am always open to learning to be a better person and growing into a better person.  Take this time and do not let those winters slip away.  They will go very quickly!  I would like to report my surgery went well!  I am recouping as we speak.  I cannot thank all of you enough for your love and prayers.  I also cannot thank you enough for taking your time to join me again this week.  Immerse yourself into your recoveries and your resurrections!  There is no telling what you will discover and what you will be able to celebrate!  Happy Spring!

Love,

Rennae

Blessings