Spring. . .

Long before I moved to Houston--back when I was still at Harding, I recall a native Houstonian saying there is nothing like spring in Houston. I didn't quite believe her. We were in Searcy--and spring on the Harding campus is truly a sight to behold--grass so green it hurts your eyes to look at it, dogwoods in creamiest white and frilliest pink, cool, fresh nights, warm days, beauty as far as the eye can see--not to mention the one-of-a-kind Harding swing.

So REALLY. . . what could be pretty in Houston, Texas??? Megalopolis of crime and traffic and smog. How dare she?

Alas, she was right. . .and the traffic and crime and smog as well as unchecked urban sprawl are all still here--but so is spring--and spring in and of itself is wonderful enough to even make Houston seem like the greatest place on earth.

We had a jumpstart to spring in January (when the wisteria began to bud). . .then another teaser early in February (when the tulip trees began to bloom). Both were followed by extreme cold weather that made wisteria and tulip tree alike rue the climate in which they had been planted. But now it's the real deal. . .there will still be some chilly weather with which to contend. It is, after all, only the eve of March. But since March officially starts tomorrow, it's not so obscene to enjoy the lovely weather. In February it's just wishful thinking, but in March it's full-flown reality.

One of my favorite scriptures of all time is the covenant God made with Noah after he and his family made it out of the ark.

"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." Genesis 8:22

I am not a person who enjoys change--I don't think the large majority of the human race does--but seeing as how our lives are full of changes we don't like, don't choose, and don't want, I find it an incredibly loving act that God set in motion the change of the seasons. Change that we enjoy--that we look forward to--that we need.

So--it's spring time in Houston. There are no dogwoods here--grass will enjoy some green before the unbearable heat of summer arrives--but one thing Houston does that puts Searcy to shame is azaleas. . .I've never seen anything like how they grow here--great big bushes of azaleas--azaleas that make you weep at their beauty.

Yep, it's spring. Stock up on the Clarinex, and the Kleenex, and enjoy the smell of fresh cut grass as everyone takes to their yards to soak up the weather. "And while you're out enjoying the sunshine, give a little thought as to just who's sending it down to you." (from the movie Pollyanna).