Birthday

Spring is upon us.  I have always had a soft spot for spring, almost as if despite myself, I am cheerful.

Being born in a very hot country, any sign of the looming summer was always accompanied with a subtle sense of dread.  By the time my birthday had come, all around me is dry and dusty, the first rains of winter still a way away.

This year, my second Birthday in our new home, it has occurred to me how our lives might change so completely, blessing us long before we notice.  My birthday now arrives as winter matures.  Only a few days earlier we had some snow -just as we thought winter is over.  Not enough to settle, but enough to leave us anticipating what surprises next year’s winter might bring. 

Barely is this event behind us, frost still on the ground every morning, and the soft warmth of spring surrounds us by midday.  The plums have been blossoming for a couple of weeks now and the berries are sprouting new leaves (maybe a tad too early…)  The humming of the bees is everywhere as they get busy and the Camelia blossoms invite the new season as they bridge the frosty winter and new spring life.

I found myself yesterday enjoying the first day of spring with no foreboding.  If there is ever a place in the world where I would welcome the summer, this might be it.

So here I am, my celestial reality completely changed and the time of my birthday now a time of magic with its joyful gifts.

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