Spring please come!

The Schwakeland express is humming right along. We're getting on one another's nerves. We need warmth. We need spring. We need some physical separation from each other. Run in the grass. Swing on the swings. Listen to birds singing. Breath. March in Minnesota is a crap shoot. But I can feel it coming. That elusive spring. That smell of warmth to come. We get a day or two here and there of warm weather. But no, we don't get the whole shebang. If it's say, 58 degrees out, you can be sure there's a wind. Or rain. Or something that makes you remember that it really isn't "nice" out yet. And you can be equally sure that the next day will dawn grey and cold. I hate spring. Let me re-phrase. I hate spring in Minnesota. All spring I am just wishing it was warmer. All spring I live in dread that the next day it's going to snow. Not until June, when you know it's going to stay nice outside, do I relax and enjoy the last 10 or so days of official springtime. I'm sure spring is quite nice in other parts of the country. But not here. It kinda bites.

But really, if that is the extent of my bad times (and it is), how amazingly blessed am I?! My husband makes enough money that I can stay home with our 3 kids. How easy it is for me to complain about being home all the time. My neighbor doesn't have that luxury. My husband has a job. A friend of mine's husband lost his in November with no prospects in sight. My husband loves me and our marriage is rock solid. It's easy to gripe about your spouse here and there. But I have a friend whose spouse just decided they wanted to move on. How do you begin to process that? I am healthy with no sign of cancer or any other major illness. Sure I complain about aches and pains. But what is that to facing colon cancer which has moved on to liver cancer and dealing with chemotherapy side affects while trying to raise two kids and hold down a mortgage? Yeah, I know a guy who is dealing with all that and then some. And I have three beautiful and HEALTHY little children. Maddening at times, yes, but I'd rather that than the alternative. How about a mom who is watching her 5 month old baby boy suffer from a fast-racing heart that the docs can't slow down who is now showing signs of heart failure? That's one of our MOPs moms. It's all extremely close to home. And, yet, in most of these cases, these people are not only enduring, they are helping the rest of us deal with their own hardship. These are the people who are not living on their own strength, but on God's. Their optimism, their total dependency, their bold strong faith completely humbles me. I wish I could say I would fare as they would in the same situation but I fear I wouldn't. I think I would crumble. The hard stuff is not fun or easy. But it's a call to all of us, whether we're going through the hard stuff or not, to put on our A game. To not dip into the 'poor me' pool. To not be too proud to fall on our knees and beg for God's mercy and lean into His strength, His wisdom, His vision. And if we could somehow do this BEFORE the hardship strikes (for it will strike - no one is exempt from it) just think how rich our lives would be!