The Promise of Spring

The beautiful lyrics of Natalie Sleeth's "Hymn of Promise" came to mind this morning as I looked out our kitchen window and saw that there were buds on our lilac.  Later in the morning, I saw buds on the magnolia tree outside my office window.  "The Hymn of Promise" has become one of my all-time favorite hymns.  My mother loved it, too, and asked that it be sung by the congregation at her memorial service.  Today, those lovely lyrics came to life for me once again, particularly the phrase, "In the cold and snow of winter, there's a spring that waits to be."  Winter hasn't officially arrived on the calendar yet, nor have we had any lasting snow, but we're edging our way there with cold days and raw winds. Only one more day and December will be here. The leaves are stripped from most of the trees and everything seems to be preparing for the long Wisconsin winter ahead. Yet the lilac and magnolia in my view today valiantly showed that they hold the promise of spring.  When I get ahead of myself and am filled with worry or sadness, that hymn is a gentle reminder to look beyond my winter to the spring that waits to be and to trust that God's plan is all I need.