The Cruelty of April

"O Father, you are sovereign in all the worlds you made
Your mighty word was spoken and light and life obeyed
Your voice commands the seasons and bounds the ocean's shore
Sets stars within their courses and stills the tempests' roar"

I want to believe it's happening - for real, this time.

None of this "get your hopes up, only to be crushed by another 6-8 inches of snow" stuff.

Spring. I want spring. And I want spring to stick around.

"April is the cruelest month," wrote T.S. Eliot, "breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain."

It has certainly at times felt that way - dead, dull - but I saw green grass today, and the memory and desire of past spring and summers came to mind and heart. It's coming; it just takes a while.

My impatience is not unique to me, nor to the situation of waiting for the seasons to change. As parents, we all can be impatient with our kids - waiting for them to "get it," wanting them to grow. But think of from where they've come, even just this year. Today, I marvel at our 1st graders, now reading; at our 4th graders, now working new maths; at our 9th graders, now well-versed in the various types of energy; at our 12th graders, just weeks away from presenting the fruits of their year-long thesis research and writing.

Today, I remember Pre-Kers once having to learn the basics of being in school, now walking in lines and holding doors for each other with the best of them; I recall seeing 6th graders start the year as our oldest grammar students, now almost ready to become our youngest upper students; and I notice how our 11th graders have studied the greatest of works by Dante and others, and are beginning to think not just about next year as seniors, but beyond next year as graduates.

Spring's rain stirs dull roots - cleansing them, giving them something to channel, providing what's needed to grow. The rain can be cold, is always wet, and often interrupts what we think God's sovereign weather patterns should be. But there is always purpose in it - even when it's late (or what we consider late) - at least that's what the Scriptures tell us (Leviticus 26:4, Deuteronomy 14:11, Deuteronomy 28:13, Job 5:10). Growth (eventually) comes.

Spring. I want spring, even if it takes more rain and snow to get there.

May April not be so cruel after all.