Spring has arrived!

It's springtime! I love, love, love, LOVE spring! At this time of year, I'm always convinced that it's my favorite season . I love seeing the countryside turn green, flowers show off their brilliant colors after the long winter, and the redbuds explode into a dazzling display of pinkish-purple.

The past two weeks have been very warm and very rainy in the Ozark Mountains, which has transformed a rolling landscape that was only beginning to catch the aroma of spring into a vibrantly green land with splashes of pinks, purples, whites and yellows around every bend. 

I love the sunshine and warm weather, but this past week I found myself especially enjoying the beauty of the rainy days. There's something about the bright green of new leaves and the pinkish-purple of the redbuds against a gray, cloudy sky that is absolutely breathtaking...almost as if it's a colorful reminder that there is beauty in every situation, no matter how bleak and dreary.

Personally, we've had an interesting last couple of weeks. There have been several things that have happened that have caused us to need to sit down and repeat over and over, "The LORD is good, the LORD is good, the LORD is good," just to make it through the day. And, as we contemplate and take a time-out from situations that threaten to overwhelm, we remember that what we're saying is true. He is good. He is faithful. He is trustworthy. He's not surprised by anything that happens and He already has a plan to make it work for our good. And, as the season shouts out to us -- He makes all things new! There's a time for winter and a time for spring. A time for facing death, dormancy, and bleakness and a time for seeing things come to life and display their beauty. One thing I love about spring is that as the temperatures warm and the sun soaks into the earth, hidden things begin to be revealed -- things of
beauty that inspire awe and delight.

Two verses come to mind today, both having spoken to me a lot in the last few weeks. The first is Psalms 36:7-8, "How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures." Oh how wonderful that we can put our trust under the shadow of His wings! We have personally seen how He not only provides, but satisfies us with His abundance, and not only gives us what we need, but gives us drink from the river of His pleasures! He is not a cold, unfeeling God who takes care of humankind out of duty, but instead, He desires good things for us. And He has the wisdom and the big perspective to know what good truly is. O that we too would have the wisdom of heaven to call good what He calls good.

The second verse is Song of Solomon 2:10-12, "My beloved spoke, and said to me: "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." After winter comes spring! After a time of death, dormancy and bleakness (physical, mental, emotional, situational, etc.), comes a time of life, joy and beauty! Praise the LORD! I look forward to spring coming to our lives and seeing what things that may have been hidden, will begin to bloom!

 As week after week goes by, I'm increasingly aware of one hidden thing that continues to grow and develop while waiting to be made known and visible. The little one I carry continues to increase her movement, often kicking, turning and possibly even tumbling (at least it feels like it!). Even her dad can feel her now! As we accumulate bows and outfits and shoes and blankets and diapers, our anticipation for her arrival continues to grow! Less  than 14 more weeks to go now, if she comes right on time! 

Even as the hours of daylight increase and days feel longer, time seems to be flying by. We've been in a "sprinting" schedule, as Chris calls it, as I've raced against the calendar to finish my next book, "One Desire." I am excited to say that it's officially done and at the editor's right now. We were hoping to release it by the end of March, but it's looking now like it may not get out until the first to middle of April. Whenever it does hit the market, we're excited for readers to get to see this first story in our new series unfold. Looking at numbers, this spring has been a good time for The Glendale Series. We've been on several of Amazon's best-sellers lists in the month of March and have already sold over 1000 copies in the first 24 days of the month
-- a new record for us! We're excited to see what the rest of the spring holds for my books and what new heights we could reach in 2012.

 On a much more shallow note, I'm enjoying the chance to put away sweaters and jeans and reacquaint myself with my spring/summer wardrobe. Out come the sandals and capris, sleeveless shirts and sundresses! And of course, to look good in the spring fashions, it's important to get out in the sun and start to get that sun kissed glow. I love spending an hour relaxing in the sunshine while listening to birds sing, boats go by on the river and the wind rustle the leaves.

 In all, I love spring and I'm so excited that it's here! I pray that the LORD would speak through His creation to assure you of His love and the new things that He's doing in your life, just as He's been speaking to us. He is good and He is faithful! Winter has past, and spring has come! In that there is great hope! May you feel that hope today as you look out the window at the changing landscape, feel the warmth of the sun, spot a flower that is just beginning to bloom, or hear the sweet song of new leaves becoming acquainted with the wind.