Hints of Spring?

 

Yesterday the temperatures hit the high fifties and I hit the neighborhood sidewalks for a long-anticipated walk in the warmth of the late February sunshine. Wonder of wonders, I even had to discard my hoodie and tie it around my waist...a long-sleeved tee shirt was almost more than I needed in the mid-afternoon. I knew that the next day the temperatures were due to drop and the snow flurries resume, but for a few glorious hours I was able to face the sun and bask in its glow.

 

When I retuned home, I got my trusty camera and went back into the yard to photograph a few clear signs that winter is on the way out.

 

The last pile of dirty snow in a shaded spot by the deck

The green shoots of an early spring iris

Little buds of sedum bravely peeking out from the dried leaves

The first buds on the lilac bush

 

Little white blossoms by the garden barn...early birds!

 

Of course, not all the signs of spring are so beautiful...

 

Trash along the ditch...visible now that the snow has melted

Driveway potholes

Hundreds of little "land mines" from the sweet gum tree

 

Back inside, a few more hopeful signs of spring days to come...

 

My shamrock plant reaching for the sunlight

Furnace set to "off"...a few more dollars in my bank account!

An open screen door to the deck....but don't tell my husband!

 

All in all, it was a very good afternoon with the promise of more to come.

 

 

 

 

 

A little love for the real heroes...

 

       

 Now that the Super Bowl hype has died down and the celebrity media crews have moved on from the latest Justin Bieber escapade to the Olympics, maybe it's time for the rest of us to sing the praises of the unsung heroes in our lives...the firefighters and police officers...the road crews keeping our streets and highways plowed and salted...the teachers, school administrators, and support personnel responsible for our children and grandchildren...the plumbers and electricians who keep our houses running efficiently...the store clerks and restaurant wait staffs who make our shopping and dining out possible...and how about the mommies and daddies who are doing their best to raise a new generation of responsible citizens?                                                             

                                                                          

By now you might be wondering, just where is she going with this? Where did this come from? Well, it came from a recent iPad message from my daughter. Her almost-four little boy, my sweet firstborn grandson, had just told her, "you're not a woman, you're a mommy, so talk like a mommy". She added, "Truth. As I sit here in my pajamas, dirty hair, and not enough sleep. About as far away from a woman as I can get." My response was to remind her that her children LOVE her as their mommy, that she is much more important to them than any other woman they know. These words were a little boy's only way of expressing this kind of love. And this little snippet of conversation got me thinking about the unsung heroes in our own families  

 

Not just the mommies who haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks, if not months, and who would love to get their hair professionally cut and colored, but instead choose to spend their hard-earned money on replacing those quickly-outgrown shoes, and coats, and shirts, and pants.


There are also the daddies, loving and dedicated family men, who work long hours and even second jobs to make sure that those precious children have every opportunity to grow up safe, and strong, and secure.




Add to this, the loving grandparents who give up their own days off to take care of the children while the mommies and daddies are off to work, or when they just need an hour or two to rest and maybe even spend a few hours renewing the closeness that came so easily when there were just the two of them.

 

So, as you watch the Olympics and cheer on those amazing athletes, don't forget about those amazing people in your own family, in your circle of friends, and in your community. Take a moment to give these unsung heroes a little love, too!