Springing Up to Meet the Occasion

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Each has a unique characteristic. Here in the United States, Spring is the most colorful. I love the Spring. I means New Life, Rebirth, Beauty. The color combinations are spectacular! To me, Spring brings Happiness and Peace. It's a Smiley season. The air is crisp and clear. The rain intermittent. The houses get washed off from the long Fall and Winter with each new rainfall. The yards get trimmed up, and best of all the flowers bloom.

When I was a kid I learned two important things from my parents:

1) From Dad:

"Spring is sprung, the grass is riz. I wonder where the birdies is."

We would say that over and over and laugh and play! Often times we would roll down long grassy hills, laughing all the way to the bottom. Even Dad would do it! Dad taught us how to fish and camp and make campfires with roasted marshmellows.

2) From Mom, a song:

          I love the mountains.

          I love the rolling hills.

          I love the fountains.

          I love the daffodils.

          I love the firesides when all the lights are low.

          Boom-dee-odda, Boom-dee-odda,

          Boom-dee-odda, Boom-dee-aaay.

          Boom-dee-odda, Boom-dee-odda,

          Boom-dee-odda, Boom-dee-aaay.

          (Repeated and sung in a round.)

We loved this song. We all joined in! We sang it when we camped and we sang it when we hiked. Mom taught us to go on walks and "to enjoy God's Garden." She and Dad still go on daily walks. And, Mom still cleans up God's Garden everywhere she goes. (She's even been known to haul an abandoned sofa off to the dump!) Mom taught us how to watch the birds and look for nests and animal tracks.

Walking, singing, playing, smelling the flowers, listening to the birds, sitting and watching the fish jump in the nearby pond. Enjoying Beauty. Mom and Dad taught me these things, and I have taught them to my children. May they pass it on through the generations to come as it was passed down to my parents from the generations before them. (smiles)

Thanks Dad and Mom! Today, I am going to a nearby park filled with new grass, budding trees, a large pond and ducks! I am going to just soak it all in and remember our fun times together!