Can anything be better than April?
In the Texas Hill Country, we drive through carpeted miles of bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush. We’ve seen the arrival of the hummingbirds, the stripping of the Nandina berries by the cedar waxwings, and the return of the cliff swallows. We’ve even had enough rain and fog to make these hills so green that I stand on my deck and pretend I’m in Ireland. Along with the bumper crop of blue bonnets, we must have had a bumper crop of frogs. They sing me to sleep every night. I get to experience my world through just screen doors again because the temperatures are that of heaven. And then there are the morning walks, the air fresh and cool, and the sun stretching its yellow fingers through pink and violet skies. Why I could just sit right down and hold on to April.
But then, I started pondering – what would I miss by holding on to April?
I wouldn’t miss July’s temperatures, but, oh how I’d long for home-grown tomatoes. What about August? I could skip the scorching days and sweltering nights, but I really do enjoy the rainbow of colors created from the morning sun shining through the sprinkler drenching the dry grass and gathering prickly pears to make jelly. Oh, and what about November and December? I could do without the avalanche of pots and pans from all the cooking, but how I would miss the family time around the table.
There are moments and seasons in our lives that we desperately want to hold on to. But moments and seasons come and go. What would we miss if we held on to just one? If I had held onto being thirty-five, I would have missed my “This Is Your Life” Fortieth Surprise Birthday Party. It was a hoot. I would have missed the births of our grandchildren. I would not have been to Guatemala to see what God is doing in another part of His world. I wouldn’t have published my first book. I wouldn’t have sailed the High Seas. I would have missed some of the moments I cherish the most.
The apostle Paul was right – we must learn to be content wherever we are with whatever we have and whenever we have it. So for now, I’m holding on to April for just a few more days, for I know August is coming.
Image: CC Flickr Jim Nix
