For those who have been following along...my apologies for the last post. I promise I was not in as much of a funk as that might lead you to believe. But the good news is that the weather has turned positively sping-like here in the Pacific Northwest and it somehow brought to mind the line for Richard III. To paraphrase the bard...

"Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this son of Vancouver;
And all the clouds that low'r'd upon the Columbia
Now In the deep bosom of the ocean are buried."

...and you can see why nobody will be beating a path to the door of my little house Vancouver on Columbia. But the point is still true; the weather has turned and with blue skies and puffy white clouds and grass growing and flowers blooming it is hard to think about the winter and all the overcast and grey days that filled our lives.

I sat outside last weekend on the patio drinking a great glass of Washington's finest wine and enjoying the sun. We grilled dinner on the barbecue and ate on the new outdoor table. I even mowed the lawn last week for the first time. Yes, I did buy an eco friendly electric mower and it took all of twenty minutes to do...but still, it was nice to get a chance to do some yard work.

As I was mowing the lawn I could not help but think of the promise of spring. It is an amazing time. The blooms and buds on the plants and the bulbs coming up all hold such a wonderful sense of hope. Following the cloud filled skies of winter to see the new growth and the first blooms is amazing and they signal the impending arrival of spring and summer. Now I have to say I have never been a big fan of summer...nice I guess but for me a bit too warm and muggy...but spring is a sight to behold. I love the time outside, the gentle breezes of March, the big white cumulus clouds and the crystal clear skies.

All this got me thinking of the promise that was made to us in the spring, or perhaps better said the fulfillment of a promise that we all received in the spring over two millennia ago. Spring brings not only the promise of warmer weather and beautiful days to enjoy, but also of a promise for all our lives. How fitting that that promise of a new life, made so many years ago, would be linked so tightly to the promise of new life we see each spring. Coincidence, probably not, but still a great reminder each year of the new life.

So perhaps the winter of our discontent is a thing of the past and with the blooming of spring, the hum of the lawnmowers, and aromas of the neighborhood grills all starting up we are about to turn the corner. But as we sit in church on Wednesday evenings the think about this season of Lent, we can also appreciate, though comprehension is likely to never be possible, the new life we have been given that is far more that we can imagine.

Live is good,