Still Standing Strong

"The daffodil is our doorside queen, She pushes upward the sword already, To spot with sunshine the early green."

                                                                                   William Cullen Bryant

A week ago it snowed.  Not unusual, it snows in Maryland almost every winter, except this time it wasn’t winter, spring had sprung.  The daffodils were out in full bloom, the promise of warmer weather was in the air, and then a cold front hit the DC area. Now, there were daffodils blooming on snow covered hills.  Daffodils are hardy flowers, despite chilly temperatures, when the snow melted and the mercury rose again, the beautiful, golden flowers continued surviving and thriving. 

Since the first of the year I have lived life at a furious pace.  Baby Lucy arrived in January, our fifth granddaughter and first blessing of the New Year.  Once home, nights and days ran together and even though I was one tired Grammie, I wouldn’t trade those special middle of the night snuggles for anything.  Three weeks later, our sixth granddaughter, little Livie arrived and I was off to join in the fun at the Willett household, so many precious moments with Aubree and Livie, their mom and dad and Mimi who had also come from Florida to help.  I’d be lying if I didn’t say, after almost a month of helping with new babies I was exhausted, but life continued at a furious pace.

Bob and I both turned a year older in January, a loved one became ill and needed hospitalization, our oldest granddaughter broke her arm ice skating, family birthdays were celebrated, we attended our grandchildren’s school events, I made a guest author appearance, hosted my book club, continued to help with the little ones, grieved the sudden death of a dear friend, and most recently had family here for Easter dinner, there were 28 at the table that day.  In other words, life raced on.

I enjoyed that snowy spring day; it gave me time to slow down, sip some tea, think, reflect and look at daffodils blooming in the snow.  Those hardy daffodils stood tall and spotted the landscape with their surprising yellow faces, defying the late cold snow to bring them down.  As I watched the snow falling, I felt like one of those sunny blooms.  Despite the demands (and blessings,) of the last few months I was still standing, still enjoying the special moments and soldiering through the difficult times.  Thanks to the Lord, through the demands of the previous weeks, I found out I was pretty hardy too.

Things seem to be settling into a more normal routine finally.  I think I’m even starting to catch up on my rest.  Hoping soon to welcome warmer temps and cherry blossoms, but for now the daffodils (and me) are still standing strong.