I look at the calendar and realize I need to turn the page. It’s already April and officially the season of spring. What black
hole has sucked away three months?
But, I do know the consumer of time. My husband and I are building a retirement home. It will be half the size of our current
home and in a different neighborhood. I admit that I’ve dreaded facing the change, the physical and mental challenge the
move will involve. Yet, I recognize it is the right thing to do now that we have an empty nest and no longer need so much
space.
Our home was built for a young family who gave birth to and raised a bundle of happy children. We were that family. Now,
our children are grown and their children study college courses.
The house needs to be refilled with cradles and toddlers. The lawn begs for tree-climbers. The couple who expressed an
interest to purchase our home has four children and another in the womb. They belong.
From my window I watch robins busy with selection of materials to build their nests. Soon spring will be in full bloom, and
their homes will be ready to receive those beautiful bright blue eggs which mean baby birds will hatch somewhere in my yard.
Last year I found a nest containing four robin eggs in the magnolia tree which stands in the corner of my front lawn. I wasn’t
surprised to find it chosen as a home site because I think it’s probably the prettiest and definitely the most special tree in the
yard.
During the December 2000 ice storm, that particular tree lost half of its limbs and we feared it would have to be removed.
However, the following spring it bared a significant amount of buds, so we chose to spare it. We worked vigilantly to save the
tree by propping and shaping the remaining branches as best as we could. Since that spring and many more trimmings, the
magnolia has become a healthy balanced tree admired by many who visit. I won’t be surprised to find another robin nest built
there this spring. It’s the sort of gift God shares with all ages. I’m sure the young tree-climbers who’ll move into our home
will appreciate the beauty and fortitude of the magnolia tree as much as the robins.
This will be my last spring in this house, our home for thirty years. My husband and I loved providing this beautiful place for
our children to get their start in life. I feel certain last year’s robins adored nesting amid the fragrant magnolia blossoms and
thick waxy leaves as much. But if one is to accept God’s plan, all phases of life must include the appropriate changes. The
robins taught their young to fly and they left the nest. Now, another pair of robins will probably build their home in the
magnolia.
Seasonal adjustments illustrate how God brings about change in order for life to continue. The rebirth of many aspects of
nature during spring shows how changes can initiate hope, actually improve a situation. I can’t help feeling the keen
excitement each time I see new sprouts and buds or find a deposit of robin eggs.
However, there are those seasonal changes which are more difficult to accept, changes which may cause hardship or
heartache like the damage done to the magnolia tree during the ice storm. But God provides a path through those darkest
days. Eventually, the work needed to support the weak limbs and trim the waste led to an outcome better than we could have
possibly predicted.
When I look out of my window and see robins transporting bits and pieces into the lush green magnolia foliage, I see proof of
good from what originally seemed an undesirable alteration. I see how well God has managed the changes of each season.
And, I realize if I place my trust in God, I too can face difficult moments in my life’s journey and all of its seasonal transfers
with the faith and assurance that these changes will also turn out good.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young
men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. ─Isaiah 40: 29-31
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
─Romans 12:2
hole has sucked away three months?
But, I do know the consumer of time. My husband and I are building a retirement home. It will be half the size of our current
home and in a different neighborhood. I admit that I’ve dreaded facing the change, the physical and mental challenge the
move will involve. Yet, I recognize it is the right thing to do now that we have an empty nest and no longer need so much
space.
Our home was built for a young family who gave birth to and raised a bundle of happy children. We were that family. Now,
our children are grown and their children study college courses.
The house needs to be refilled with cradles and toddlers. The lawn begs for tree-climbers. The couple who expressed an
interest to purchase our home has four children and another in the womb. They belong.
From my window I watch robins busy with selection of materials to build their nests. Soon spring will be in full bloom, and
their homes will be ready to receive those beautiful bright blue eggs which mean baby birds will hatch somewhere in my yard.
Last year I found a nest containing four robin eggs in the magnolia tree which stands in the corner of my front lawn. I wasn’t
surprised to find it chosen as a home site because I think it’s probably the prettiest and definitely the most special tree in the
yard.
During the December 2000 ice storm, that particular tree lost half of its limbs and we feared it would have to be removed.
However, the following spring it bared a significant amount of buds, so we chose to spare it. We worked vigilantly to save the
tree by propping and shaping the remaining branches as best as we could. Since that spring and many more trimmings, the
magnolia has become a healthy balanced tree admired by many who visit. I won’t be surprised to find another robin nest built
there this spring. It’s the sort of gift God shares with all ages. I’m sure the young tree-climbers who’ll move into our home
will appreciate the beauty and fortitude of the magnolia tree as much as the robins.
This will be my last spring in this house, our home for thirty years. My husband and I loved providing this beautiful place for
our children to get their start in life. I feel certain last year’s robins adored nesting amid the fragrant magnolia blossoms and
thick waxy leaves as much. But if one is to accept God’s plan, all phases of life must include the appropriate changes. The
robins taught their young to fly and they left the nest. Now, another pair of robins will probably build their home in the
magnolia.
Seasonal adjustments illustrate how God brings about change in order for life to continue. The rebirth of many aspects of
nature during spring shows how changes can initiate hope, actually improve a situation. I can’t help feeling the keen
excitement each time I see new sprouts and buds or find a deposit of robin eggs.
However, there are those seasonal changes which are more difficult to accept, changes which may cause hardship or
heartache like the damage done to the magnolia tree during the ice storm. But God provides a path through those darkest
days. Eventually, the work needed to support the weak limbs and trim the waste led to an outcome better than we could have
possibly predicted.
When I look out of my window and see robins transporting bits and pieces into the lush green magnolia foliage, I see proof of
good from what originally seemed an undesirable alteration. I see how well God has managed the changes of each season.
And, I realize if I place my trust in God, I too can face difficult moments in my life’s journey and all of its seasonal transfers
with the faith and assurance that these changes will also turn out good.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young
men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. ─Isaiah 40: 29-31
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
─Romans 12:2
| Spring: A Season of Change by Sara Gipson |
Copyright © 2010 Sara Gipson. All rights reserved.
Photo © Rita Richter | Dreamstime.com
Sara Gipson has won numerous awards for writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She has
also won awards in photography and fashion design. Current publications include a short
story in the anthology, Writing on the Walls III. Our Arkansas…Selected Places, a recent
publication which describes interesting places to visit in Arkansas, features two articles and
accompanying photographs. When she isn’t writing, Sara assists her husband with his
marketing business. They live near Little Rock, Ark.
also won awards in photography and fashion design. Current publications include a short
story in the anthology, Writing on the Walls III. Our Arkansas…Selected Places, a recent
publication which describes interesting places to visit in Arkansas, features two articles and
accompanying photographs. When she isn’t writing, Sara assists her husband with his
marketing business. They live near Little Rock, Ark.
