This is the day I yearn for from the first frost. I’ve actually done better with winter the last two or three years. I’ve kept myself busy with lengthy projects that need time and attention and it keeps my mood lifted. The time always seems to pass quickly when you are engaged in something you love. But, when this day comes, I always feel a sigh of relief and a weight…however imperceptible…lifts from my shoulders.

I took the advice of you good people (and some close friends in the medical field) and did nothing yesterday but relax in my recliner and heal. And I felt much better for it. My friend Ellie reminded me we only have so much vital energy and we need to use it to heal. If we use it on other things, we don’t have any left for our body to do the hard work of repairing itself. She gave me the example of what people say when they’re doing too much… “I was feeling so much better, then….” Thank you, Ellie. Your gentle reminder was well received and I feel your love and hugs and prayers all the way from Florida.

One of the first things I saw on Facebook yesterday was this quote from Eleonora Duse, an Italian actress who rivaled Sarah Bernhardt in the late 19th Century. My friend Becky tagged me because she knows this is MY best day, so I needed to share it with you. When I drive out the little 2-lane country roads and see the grass green up along the ditches and creeks, my heart soars. When the crystal clear blue skies bless me with sunshine on my cheeks, I take a deep cleansing breath. Thank you for thinking of me, Becky. When God turns the page on another season and the earth comes alive…so do I.

I remember thinking to myself in March of 2013…if Mr. Virgo had to die, I thanked God it was at the beginning of spring and not the beginning of winter. I took my little camper into the wilderness and backroads of Colorado for three months and started to heal my broken heart…one campfire at a time. Nature cradled me in warmth and sounds and smells that soothed my spirit and helped me walk through the fires of grief without being burned alive. I was ever so grateful for that because I know full well it would have been a different story six months later during a Colorado winter.

I don’t really have anything on my schedule until April Fool’s Day so I’m going to take my time resting and healing the next couple of weeks. After the way I felt Thursday, I think I have a greater appreciation of the way aging effects recovery from illness, injury, or surgery. Things just don’t work like they used to. I don’t really begrudge that. Aging is a natural part of life and it’s not like I can’t do what I really want to do. I just have to adapt and approach things a little more slowly and carefully now….especially until my bones build up with calcium again after surgery. I have too many things to do than to have a broken hip or something. 

So, my lovelies…may you have a wonderful First Day of Spring. I hope you get outside and enjoy some fresh air, and hopefully some sunshine, and lift your hearts with joy.

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“Winter is past, the rain has stopped; flowers cover the earth, it’s time to sing. The cooing of doves is heard in our land.”

Song of Songs 2:11-12 CEV