I am so grateful that I live in a part of the country where I can fully embrace the four seasons of nature. Here in the mountains of southwest Virginia, we experience Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter in all their full glory. Now maybe not as intensely as some places (for instance Winter in Minnesota or Summer in Texas) but we definitely can tell the difference between the four. I lived in southern California for the first two years Keith and I were married and I can remember wearing shorts on Christmas morning while seeing pictures of my brother and Dad standing in foot deep snow back home in Virginia. Of course, we could just drive a short distance to snow in the mountains, but it wasn’t the same.
Here I enjoy the miracle of rebirth every Spring when the flowers start blooming, everything starts turning bright green and before you know it there are baby robins and wrens everywhere. Then Summer comes and we enjoy being able to swim or watch a wonderful light show from an evening thunderstorm. Right now, Fall is a wonderfully beautiful time here. The mountains turn different colors, our yard is full of acorns and berries and the squirrels and birds feast on the fruits of a good harvest. After that Winter comes and we will have a few snowstorms, some ice and cold and we enjoy sitting by the fire inside watching the beauty of falling snow outside or birds on the suet cake feeder filling their bellies. And I know that Spring will soon arrive and the cycle will start all over again.
The cycle of life is truly a miracle and I am so thankful that I can experience that in a new way as each season passes.
Quote and numeric graphic by Kristen Creech from her 30 Days of Gratitude kit.
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