"The Weather Is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful"

March came in with a whimper. Record highs and early pollen counts. It looked pretty when the daffodils in their pretty bonnets were so anxious to turn the faces skyward soaking up the warmth.

Now they look brown and shriveled. I know how they feel.

Early Spring is nice. Warm days just around the time we changed the clocks so we had longer days. Only they didn't last. The freeze came and March started acting like the bitch we know she can be.

Now it's gray days and cooler temperatures. But the early bloom doesn't seem to care. Magnolia and apple blossom alike, are in full flower. The trees are red and the willows are turning more verdant. They just couldn't wait.

I love how everyone speculates. We had a mild winter and so what will the consequences be? As if we have any say in the matter!

People try to hold back mother nature and anticipate what her next move will be. Alas, to no avail. If she's gonna slam you with a Tsunami, there is very little you can do about it except hope to be up high.

Last Fall I watched rivers in Pennsylvania, Upstate New York and coastal New Jersey overflow due to heavy rains, wiping out whole towns. Terribly tragic.

Instead of wondering when the next proverbial shoe will drop, why aren't we embracing this glorious gift that God gave us...a mild Winter and an early Spring. Maybe that's our gift for the tragedies of the flooding in our area.

When will people realize that the good things and bad things in our lives don't necessarily come with price tags? Maybe it is all just random and we should vow to embrace the bad along with the good instead of waiting for it all to come crashing down on our heads!

Because, eventually, it all comes crashing down anyway. It has nothing to do with what we think we deserve. It's all so much bigger than we are.

Acceptance is one of the hardest things for us to...well...accept in our lives. We need to stop worrying and start living. Enjoy the good and surround ourselves with love when the bad stuff comes.

I'll have to try to remember that when my soul feels like the shriveled daffodils.