Almost Spring...

​Spring is my favorite time of year.   Having arrived in London during the darkest, coldest time of the year, I can’t wait to experience England in the springtime.   I can sense it right around the corner, but so far, it seems like it just won’t come.  Increasingly over the last few weeks, I’ve started noticing little green shoots poking through the mulch, buds are forming on the trees, a few are just barely starting to flower, and the daffodils are starting to bloom in the park!  But just when I was getting excited, it snowed this weekend!  
 
Perhaps because we’re so much more exposed to the elements here as we walk everywhere, or because I have to go outside to the shed to put clothes in the dryer (I’m not complaining- it’s still better than crunchy clothes that dry on the line), or maybe because I just don’t like being cold, I am very attuned to these little signs that the season is changing. I am more eager than I ever remember for Spring to come and stay. 
 
More than any other year, I am struck by how the season of Lent, in anticipation of Easter (which falls on April 1 this year), overlaps with and echoes nature’s cycle of new life coming after a time of darkness and hard ground.  On Ash Wednesday at the beginning of Lent, the liturgy reminds us that we come from dust and invites us into a time of letting go and going without.  There is suffering, a loss of the status quo, and a facing of the unknown in the stories of the disciples and Jesus leading up to Easter.  And then, there is this bursting forth of glory and hope come Easter morning with our celebration of Jesus’ resurrection and promise of a new life through faith in Him.

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This time for us here has not been one of suffering by any means, but certainly there has been a shake-up of the status quo, and there are some unknowns.  This waiting in the cold for the sun to shine and the plants to green and bloom feels appropriate- there is good and beauty as is, but I sense something more right around the corner.  My heart is lining up with the season, little shoots of green, new life, new energy, hope for whatever comes next.  While I ponder what that is, I take heart knowing that good work is happening during this “dormant” time, when I have a lot less going on than I’m used to.  A lot is happening underground, in those bulbs and on tree buds.   Roots are growing deeper, and sometimes plants are spreading horizontally, so that when there is finally enough sunlight and moisture, the stems press up through the soil and flowers emerge.

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I will try to be grateful for the cold and gray days, as they heighten my anticipation and increase my joy and pleasure when the sun comes out and the flowers bloom.  Some seasons in life are like that, and I celebrate that not every day is sunny, so that we can grow and be nourished until the time is right, and we can be more joyful when things come together! 
 
Spring for us here in London also means the arrival of grandparents and friends from home who are coming to visit and share in our experience here.  I have loved “hibernating” and having the city to myself in some ways, but I look forward to seeing London through still different eyes and enjoying new experiences with our dearest friends and loved ones in this amazing place.  Already, we had Charles’ parents with us last week, and were able to go places and do things with them that we hadn't done yet (and their visit even enabled mom and dad to sneak away on our own adventure to Dublin!)  We saw Much Ado about Nothing in Shakespeare’s Globe, re-visited our favorite food stalls in the Borough Market, climbed to the top of St. Pauls, saw The Lion King in the West End, and even visited Windsor Castle while the Queen was there!  The kids literally got to choose their own adventures, and enjoyed time at the London Zoo, lunch in Chinatown, the fanciest ice-cream sundae I’ve ever heard of, the Transportation Museum, flying at the Science Museum, the world’s largest Lego Store….Let’s just say that on our end, Monday morning was very rough today, and I think Pop & Gi must be exhausted! ​