Seasons...

It is cold outside.  There is snow on the ground.  It is cloudy and overcast, and it looks like more snow may be on the way to replace the snow which has melted over these last couple of very warm days.  I am not a fan of winter.  I could easily live without ever seeing another snow flake again, and yet, I am grateful for the four seasons.

I am really a three season person by nature.  I love spring, summer and fall, all for different reasons, because each one comes with it's special characteristics and qualities.  Spring brings refreshment, warmth and spring rains and the promise of things to come.  Summer is flowers and green grass and leafy trees, outside BBQ's and parades and lazy days in the sunshine.  Fall is a time for crisp air, and new beginnings, and fresh outlooks.  Each season has its own promise of something special.

Winter is harsh and cold and dreary, a time of chapped hands and wind swept landscape and drifting and bitter wind cutting through your coat to chill you to the bone.  It is something to be endured, not enjoyed, at least in my mind.  I look with wonder at those who love it, because I can't understand the thrill of being out in a fresh snowfall.  Winter seems endless to me, and I long for spring from November until April.

But spring always comes, and with it comes the satisfaction of having survived another season harshness.  And I am left feeling grateful for the reminder each year that winter is followed by spring, and all the promise that comes with it.

As we come to the end of the hard season of winter, I am grateful for the four seasons.  I need that reminder that there is bitterness in life, but it is followed by renewal and hope and joy.