Tag: spring snow

Appreciating Spring Snow

One of my favorite things about springtime in Colorado is that the weather changes quickly. The other day, it snowed in the morning and by the time we picked Bea up from track practice in the afternoon, we were wearing t-shirts and enjoying the sunshine and dry ground.

IMG_8673We’re up in the mountains, decompressing from tax season. We’ve found the importance of getting away after such an intense season. When we stay at home, we fall into old habits and patterns. A change of scenery is the break we need to reset.

Yesterday, we went swimming in the hot springs near our rented cabin. The girls loved climbing the rocks around the creek, finding the best natural pools to splash in, and soaking in sunshine and family time. We woke up this morning to a wintery landscape. Our mountain views were obscured with clouds, the trees had a perfect outline of snow clinging to their branches, and Frank started a fire in the wood stove as we ate breakfast, played games, and did puzzles.

I know a lot of us are itching for actual spring – for blossoms and predictable sunshine. I am, too. I can’t wait to plan our garden and put away the winter clothes. But I also appreciate this quick turn of weather. It’s a reminder of our family’s current season, as we reconnect and refocus on life as a family of four. In a lot of ways, reentry is like a Colorado spring. There are sunny beautiful memories, there are cozy wintery moments, and there are gales and winds that kick up the dust.

I’m remembering this takes some time and after years of practice, our expectations for these post-season getaways are much more realistic. We shut down, limit our screen time, and focus on the four of us. But real life doesn’t actually stop. The girls still bicker; I still long for alone time; Frank still has some business to wrap up. Those moments seem much more bearable and pass much more quickly when we’re intentional about this time of reconnecting, and I’m glad for these pattern breaks as we enter this next season of spring and a more normal family life.

What is spring like in your part of the world? Do you like unpredictable weather? How does that translate to your daily life and expectations? 

Linked with Five Minute Friday, a time to write without editing. Today’s prompt is “turn.”

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Finding Heaven in Spring Snow

“We were never made for heaven. Our bodies, formed of dust, were always intended for a life on earth. This world is our home. The great promise has always been not that we would go to live with God, but that God would come to make his home with us.”

Christie Purifoy

When I read these words in Seth Haines’ recent Tiny Letter, this idea resonated with me. I love this shift in thinking from going to heaven to bringing the reconciled kingdom of God to earth, to restoring the idea of perfection right here.

As we remember the Easter resurrection and the promise of a restored earth, I find myself seeing glimpses of this new earth – this idea of making our home here, in this creation more and more. As I intentionally look for it, I see God coming to make his home with us.

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Spot Bea…

Last week, Denver was hit with a huge blizzard. March is normally our snowiest month, giving us dense, wet snow that quickly melts. On Wednesday, it was clear that this snow was bigger. Daisy and Bea, who love to tramp around in the backyard on snowy days, stayed inside. We had tons of screen time, hot chocolate, and lounging. When the snow let up in the late afternoon, we made the long trek across the street for cookie baking with our neighbors. Bea got stuck in our driveway, so I plowed ahead, dropped Elle into our neighbor’s arms and went back for Bea.

At around 5:00, as people made it home from work, the sun peeped out and people headed outside to shovel. Shoveling spring snow isn’t my favorite – it’s heavy and slow going. But, it’s also rewarding – the sidewalk clears quickly and by the next day, the sun has dried the pavement. It’s also a time of community. Because it’s light out later, we gathered and shoveled and waved and were in the drifts together. One neighbor recently had surgery, so others gathered to shovel his drive.

After a day of being housebound, the reminder of community was so cool to watch. God seemed present in the snow shoveling, in the gathering and caring for neighbors, in the heavy spring snow that soaks into the soil.

It’s a small thing, shoveling snow with neighbors. But it’s a big thing, too, remembering that even wet spring snow is a glimpse of a restored earth.

How are you on the lookout for those small-but-big moments of finding community and restoration?