SPRING, A TIME OF WONDER

This is my favourite season of the year. The long and dreary winter is over and the world comes alive. Canada geese return to the lakes and robins herald the end of the deadly cold as they build their nests. People feel the excitement too as they cast off their parkas, tuques, scarves, and gloves.

Young children certainly make the most of the warm weather and I was no exception. One windy afternoon, I raced up and down the sidewalk in front of my house. No matter how fast I ran, the cloud shadows always caught up and passed me. My mom was highly amused later at my question regarding why the clouds were faster than I was.

The wind used to make a whining noise in the TV antenna above our house. The sound mesmerized me. I begged to go outside on windy afternoons just so I could hear it.

The scents of the new plant life thrilled me as well. I often visited a creek near my home and explored it. The scent of the poplars was one I loved and still cherish each spring.

When I was sent to a school for the blind in Vancouver, spring came a month earlier than in my home province. Even so, I loved to feel the pussy willow buds and smell the scents of the trees as sap rose through them. The high-pitched frog voices at night also thrilled me. Our grade two teacher often read us animal stories and I imagined how nice that would be if those frogs could talk to me as well.

As a teenager, I discovered the wonders of Edmonton's river valley and ravines. Being there was like leaving the city and its noise far behind me. The time between the melting snow and when the mosquitos started to fly was, and still is, my favourite part of spring.

All three of my books mention my love of God's awakening creation. Read about the first two at the Bruce Atchison's books page. My most recent paperback is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books.