Alive!

As sure as Sunday marked the day we celebrated that Jesus is alive and rose from the dead, there were signs of new life everywhere as I rode yesterday.

It was as if overnight everything came to life. The wild redbud trees are showcasing their beautiful yet delicate pink/purple flowers. You can see them showering the roadsides as well as highlighting the wooded areas that are still mostly barren. Although the buttercups, daffodils, are now gone by, the azaleas are in full bloom. They are lighting up neighborhoods with their brilliant red, white, pink, and purple flowers.

The creeping phlox are beginning to also blanket the ground with their vibrant colors including pinks, purples, white and even some hints of blue. The earth is coming to life again after the winter season has passed. All of these beautiful colors can make a person suddenly feel alive even on a gloomy day. The other trees are also slowly starting to show some color as they start to bud and become clothed again in leaves.

The temperatures are still crazy and in the 40s some days while hitting close to 80 another. It’s enough to drive a person crazy because just as you get used to the warmth, bam, it’s cold again. Mother Nature can’t seem to make up her mind it seems this Spring.

I guess we do the same thing though. Some days we’re upbeat and ready to take on the world, (we’re on fire) and other days we seem to barely get through (we’re cold as ice). You ever wonder why? I often do and don’t really have a good answer most of the time. Yesterday it was just nice to be able to ride and not really think about anything other than enjoying the new signs of life as they presented themselves everywhere I went. I rode about 100 miles and didn’t have a care in the world. I had my granddaughter for a few hours prior to riding which was a very welcome last minute surprise. I was off work so I didn’t have to be concerned with who might be needing anything, and it was just a carefree ride. Those days don’t happen very often so when they do it’s an added bonus. To also get to see so many beautiful colors as well was truly a gift!

Sometimes it’s the little things that can make me realize the big picture even more. I know I need to take time to feel more alive every day by looking for the little things, the positive things, that often get overlooked in the busyness of life. Flowers and trees and even the bees that are suddenly appearing to gather nectar, are all signs of life; of God’s beauty and His plan. He created it all and wants us to enjoy it, and to see Him in it. His handiwork is all around us if we only take time to see it.

Psalm 104:24
O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.