The First Signs of Summer?

You know how after a long holiday break or vacation, you have to consciously remind yourself which day of the week it is. Or after daylight savings time, what time it really is. Well that's exactly what I have to keep doing with the calendar date, because it can't possibly be March 27th.

It's been a beautiful range of high-70s and low-80s for nearly three weeks or better. Yards have been mowed, the baby has been sunblocked, the dog is laying sunny side up in the grass, and I've even worn shorts! The flowers even think it's summer, not spring, but summer. I have iris in full bloom!

This is truly a miraculous event, as iris do not usually bloom until May. (It's also pretty miraculous because I'm not exactly the best gardener in the world.) But here it is, proof that the ozone is weakening, global warming is upon us, and that someday our grandchildren will have to Google what a penguin is.

These iris are really special, beyond their early arrival. These are transplants from my Grandma's garden, where she has a rainbow of beautiful varieties. She helped me plant a row of iris along the walkway of our house and in the front flower bed last fall. My grandma is truly a gifted gardener, and has true love for the plants that she cares for. Her yard is the talk of Cuming County when it is in bloom, and people drive from all over just to see the beauty that she has diligently and artfully created.

Not only are these blossoms special because of my Grandma, I also love the symbolism of the flower growing up among the rocks. For me it is a great reminder this Lenten season of God's mercy and grace. As I see these flowers emerge and blooming among rocks and hard places, in the middle of March, I'm reminded that nothing is impossible with God. If He can make something beautiful come from the most unlikely of places where it would seem like nothing could grow, I know that by His grace he can bring forth something good in my life too.