Is the Coming of Spring Bringing Spring to Your Steps?

Just 7 days until it's officially Spring (March 20th). The pink tulips, the bright yellow jonquils and the bright yellow forsythia are out. The red bud trees are red budding. The creeping phlox are creeping out. And, Sunday, I came out -- outside, that is. I've been hibernating for most of this winter. What happened to Texas heat, anyway?

My walking/jogging routine came to a halt when I injured my ankle and it's been so cold outside and I've been so busy and I've been traveling here, there and everywhere. Excuses. Excuses. Excuses. I was speaking all of that to myself when I took to the streets and sidewalks on Sunday. That's when I saw the new life in the plants, trees and flowers (photos here). I realized it's time to get Spring into my steps!

My word of the day is obviously, SPRING: to move or jump suddenly or rapidly upward or forward; leap; arise, evolve, AND the season between winter and summer.

I was a greeter and held the door open at church on Sunday in spite of the 30 mph winds. I'd use cliches like "Look what the wind blew in!" "So glad you didn't blow away!" "We've got that 'wind-blown-look today, don't we?" Then a jolly fellow that had a bounce to his steps, beat me to the punch and said, "Could you turn down the wind, please?"

Did you ever hear that phrase -- a SPRING in your steps? It means we're walking with a bit of a bounce in our steps, implying that we're in a good mood or something good has just happened to us. Ever been weighed down with a heavy situation, and suddenly good news came, and you felt light as a feather? You were pressed down and weighed down, then suddenly you had SPRING IN YOUR STEPS!

This time of year helps with adding Spring to our steps and we get a fresh new perspective on life. Spring marks a new beginning. I love that it brings Easter -- the celebration that Christ lives. All of nature is renewed and it reminds me all the more of God's great love for us. Everything starts to come alive. Our world gets filled with color. Isn't all that reason enough to have SPRING in our steps?

Spring in our steps brings a breath of fresh air to those we meet and come in contact with. We have the reasons for joy and life and it should exude from us. We should be like a ray of sunshine because we have good news of a great and mighty God to share. We have some wonderful things in our lives that make us different and because of it, we should have that extra bounce to our walk. Like the birds that come singing in the Spring, we should be singing songs of praise and thanksgiving with a "Spring in our Step" everyday! With each step, we should have a smile on our face and love in our hearts! After all, WE KNOW the CREATOR of Springtime. He is our Maker and He made us with "built-in" springs that can cause us to always rebound with God’s peace, joy and love each and every day!

The March Equinox and Donna's Inspirations

Day 79 of Photo Inspirations -- The March Equinox and Donna's Inspirations
This photo inspiration adventure, that God has me on this year, continues to awe and astound me.  Yesterday, as I was driving home from the Southern Hills area of town, I was so taken by these gorgeous bushes of forsythias that I just had to do a u-turn to take the photo.   I immediately thought that Spring must certainly be upon us.  So much so, that it inspired me to get home and go up in my attic and bring down my Spring floral arrangements.  Time to change out the winter decor' for my spring decor'.    I guess I'm a chip off the ole' block, because isn't that what our Father and Creator does?  He changes our winter to springtime.

Last night I sat down at my computer, downloaded this photo and decided to check to find out, "When DOES Spring come this year?" To my amazement, I found out that it was yesterday, March 20th, the day I was inspired about Spring and taking this photo.  Furthermore, I  found out about the equinox which occurs only twice a year, around March 20th and September 22nd.  It is the day when daytime and night are of approximately equal duration.  The March equinox happens at the same moment across the world but is converted to local time. In 2015, it falls on March 20 at 6:45 P.M. EDT, 5:45 P.M. CDT, 4:45 P.M. MDT, and 3:45 P.M. PDT.   Shazam!!!!

Now that knowledge may not impress you, but it sure did me. Because, when I checked the details of that photo, it says I took it at 4:49 CDT.  That meant I was already within the hour and minute of the equinox, and I didn't even realize it. Honestly, I truly sense God's holy presence at times like this. I have never felt closer to God than I have since the first of this year when I have been purposely seeking Him and asking Him for an awareness of Him in my day.   And He continues to SURPRISE me each day with inspirations of awe-inspiring proportions.

I continue to be amazed at the intricate details of how God masterfully put this world into place and planned the seasons to the nth degree of design.  Seriously?  March 20th -- the equinox when day and night are equal in time.  With that precision, think about His infinite wisdom when it comes to what He is doing in the seasons of our lives.  He has ordained each day.  He knows exactly when we are experiencing the cold, dark, hybernating winters of our lives.  Those times when it seems nothing productive is happening.  Oh, but hold on my child.   JOY COMES IN THE MORNING!   He has a SPRINGTIME for you and me -- the time when we can shed those winter clothes of sadness, weariness and heaviness, and replace them with garments of praise because it's a NEW DAY!  Let's be so grateful that God, in His infinite wisdom planned every season of our lives and He will lead us through every season to effect His perfect plan in us.  Instead of wishing we were in a different one, let's embrace and enjoy the season we're in right now!  Can't you hear the birds singing and seeing Spring all around?  Yes, it's SPRING!  Time for celebration!