I love the fragrance of spring. The sweet blossoming flowers, the fresh grass, the warm earth - combined with the smell of the wind, it creates something magical.
But as much as I love the unfolding of this new season, it is bittersweet for me.
Spring, particularly its scent, takes me back in time. Back to a time when I was wrapped in a dark fog, struggling to come to terms with my brother's sudden death. I spent a lot of time outside in those first weeks and months - talking to my best friend on the phone, praying, trying to make sense of what I was feeling. It was somewhere wide and open where I felt like I could breathe and think and get a grasp, albeit feeble, on the unchecked emotions that were tearing me apart inside.
It was my haven.
Spring is coming once again, and every breath is like a memory. The smells take me back over the months and years in an instant. And all I can say is, God is good.
It is a bittersweet feeling; an aching smile. Remembering hurts, but the past is such a beautiful reminder of God's faithfulness and how far I've come by His grace.
And His grace will carry me home.
Spring is coming
And all we've been hoping and longing for soon will appear
Spring is coming, Spring is coming
And it won't be long now, it's just about here
~Spring Is Coming {Steven Curtis Chapman}
~Riah
