Spring is alive

“Spring is God thinking in gold, laughing in blue, and speaking in

green.”

-- FRANK JOHNSON

Spring has certainly sprung where I live. Although it seemed like

the sun and the warmth played tug of war with the cold, wind and the

rain the last few weeks and months, it is officially spring,

according to my calendar. As I write this column, the sun is playing

peek-a-boo with the clouds and I’ve just came in from a brisk and

refreshing morning walk.

I first began writing this column on St. Patrick’s Day. There was

an abundance of green everywhere I looked, adorning people’s outfits

and displaying how God and gardeners adorned the outdoors.

I saw the color green in all my surroundings on St. Patrick’s Day.

I looked closely as I walked, and I’ve been watching out my window as

I write. There are more shades of green than I can count. God is

marvelously creative, and I’m thankful for spring.

I was also mesmerized by the many hues of blue wherever I looked

as I walked or worked. Many people near me stopped to wait and watch,

seeing the blues in the sky and the changing blues in the sea.

Before finishing this column, I drove by a special place to watch

the ocean for a few minutes. I needed some time away from home, I

needed to pray, and I needed to be refreshed by the white caps moving

playfully on a lively blue body of water. I can’t describe the

intensity of the color, other than to say it was a shade of blue that

I would use to dye Easter eggs. God is wonderfully creative, and I’m

thankful for spring.

On my walk, I also passed tulips that were brilliantly yellow and

seemed to salute me in unison. Soon after that, I passed a field of

crisp golden daisies that waved happily to me. I waved back at them

without thinking, and then noticed that nearby gardeners had stopped

what they were doing and were eyeing me curiously. I smiled said

hello and kept walking.

When I returned home and saw my newspaper, I was taken aback by

the contrast of the pictures of dust storms on the front page

compared to what I am surrounded with here. This may be spring in our

area, but for many people it feels more like winter.

“Oh, it’s a dark winter in my soul, Cindy,” one friend said.

She and I visited awhile, cried and prayed together, and even

laughed a little. We also talked about God, springtime, colors and

Easter.

We agreed that even though we don’t understand circumstances, we

appreciate that we can always tell God how we feel about him, and we

know that it won’t change his love for us.

Sometimes after hearing the latest news updates, I stop and pray

and then look outside again for reassurance. The colors around me

bring springtime back to my soul, no matter what season it has been

in. God is magnificently creative, and I’m thankful for spring.

And you can quote me on that.

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at

cindy@onthegrow.com or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140-No. 505,

Newport Beach, CA 92658.