Spring

When I see the kid's boots, I think, "spring". What a fun time of year. We get to stretch and warm our bones by the new warmth of the sun. Every warm day is such a treasure to everyone. It is the time of year between being freezing cold and burning hot! Spring means new life, Easter eggs, and green grass.

AND tromping around in the mud. We have a pretty big field in front of our house along with a couple of creeks and two ponds. This equates to lots and lots of messy play in the spring. My sister bought the kids these Croc boots and they are so wonderful! Great for snow and mud. And creekin, exploring,...etc. So we keep them handy right by the door so they can go out any time.

But, with the new heat of the summer sun, they haven't needed to use them much lately since the ground is dryer.

When I see these boots, I am reminded of the kids coming back to the house covered in mud and wet from head to toe...Gavin seeing a big black snake and sprinting all the way back to the house....splashing in the creek when it was swollen from all the rains....skipping rocks in the pond......flowering weeds picked with love and affection and brought back to mom with a proud and geniune, "I love you mommy." It is new life and the hope of a flowering blossoming year full of potential.

Maybe I have a thing with shoes?! When I was in 4th grade, I took a picure of some dirty old tennis shoes piled up to next to a cabin while I was at camp. Those shoes had been on horseback rides and adventure hikes. Archery and kumbayas, roasted marshmellows and awkward first dances. I submitted it to the fair and won 3rd place. I guess I could have called that one "Summer"!

And summer will come soon. The sun will never seem to want to set, the kids will be brown as bears, the days will be relaxed and unscheduled, fish will be caught, strawberry shortcake will be eaten and homemade ice cream will drip down our chins. Sprinklers and bubbles will fill the air along with the delighted squeals of the young ones. Corn will be eaten off the cob and toes will be painted.

But for now, I am going to enjoy these last few days of spring. And all that it means.


"Spring"