I’ve written here before about May being like December because of its financial outlays. This year, May reminds me of December for other reasons, too.
There’s the over scheduling of events. End of school programs, concerts, field trips, parties, sporting events, conferences, graduations—all squeezed into a few weeks, just like at Christmastime. There are weddings, retirements, and going away parties. There’s May Day, Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day, not to mention the lesser known holidays like Candied Orange Peel Day, Frog Jumping Day, and Dance Like a Chicken Day. No kidding.
In some parts of the country (Kansas), the seasons are changing. The weather’s finally beginning to level out, if gale force winds can be considered leveling out. At least it’s sunny. Flowers bloom. Winter wheat fields turn from brown to green. Bunnies the size of my dog saunter about the yard. Nature’s in flux, pressing on to summer.
Add to that a stressful life event or two, like moving, and you could wind up dancing like a chicken. The one that flew over the cuckoo’s nest. Yes, change is stressful. Even good change is stressful. We’re allowed that, I think.
We go to sleep in some of the darkest winters of change. We wake up to clouds, gray, drizzle, snow, cold, bleh. Night comes again. Then gray. Then night. Then gray. Again and again. We get up. We sojourn on. Maybe for years.
Then one morning, a little light. The twinkle of an idea.
The whisper, “Hey, this could be the beginning of something beautiful.”
The next morning, a little more sun. The wink of possibility. The glimpse of a robin or a rabbit, rabbit, creature of habit.
Another morning, and the sky is the brightest shade of blue. The sun, oh, the sun is shining and we are warmed by it. Sweet promise of a brand new day.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 NIV
Hold On by Selah. Originally by Evie.
What are your hopes on this brand new day?
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photo credit: cruadinx via photopin cc
Absolutely true and positively beautiful. I wrote a post last year and a post this year about May. My hopes and prayers were about being “in the moment”… it’s so so hard when life is on overdrive!!
I know what you mean, Chris. And May kind of sneaks up on me every year! Lol. Maybe next year I’ll remember to brace myself and prepare as much as possible in advance so I can enjoy being “in the moment” more.
Oh Aimee,
You should so take the concept above and turn it into a children’s book! The last part of it reminded me of some of my favorites. Your tone and words would inspire young minds. I loved this one. In some ways it touched the writer in me more than any before it in it’s simplicity. Excellent!
Rodney
Thank you, Rodney!
Hi Aimee:
Just as a way of re-introduction:
I added you to my G+ circles about two or three weeks ago after a friend of mine I work with discovered your blog and thought I’d enjoy reading what you said. She was right, by the way.
Weird that you bring up May and December bing similar because of finances, as I just went through an imaginary financial challenge myself. I’m out the other side now however and things look brighter.
Spring in Connecticut is actually one of my favorite times of year for all te reasons you listed:
Renewal and the sense that we get to start again.
I look forward to your next column, Aimee.
—
Chris
Thank you, Chris. I’m honored that you’re here. I’m still learning how to do G+, so I appreciate you mentioning that you put me in your circles there. That helped me figure out why your name sounded familiar :)
I find God’s gift of spring to be another tangible illustration of the pattern of redemption and sanctification He offers us in Christ. I considered many scriptures to include with this post. For example, Lamentations 3:22-24 describes God’s mercies as being new every morning. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul goes so far as to state that in Christ our very beings are new creations. Many of us commemorate Christ’s birth in December, and the renewal of May reminds us again how He changes us.