A Lovely Evening

I was sitting in my office working on paperwork this afternoon when I was startled by the vibrating sound of my cell phone.  I was surprised when I looked down and saw that it was Chad calling.  He rarely calls me during the day, so my first instinct was to be concerned. 

Hello?
I think you should take a lunch break outside right now, came his excited voice on the other end of the line.
I can’t leave right now, I said.
It’s beautiful outside, he told me, you just need to step out for a bit.  I explained that I couldn’t leave until later but I issued my request:  Do you think you can come home early so we can be outside with the kids before it gets dark? 
I will if I can, he answered.

My office is located in the interior of a large building.  There are no windows.  There is no fresh air.  There is no connection to the outside world.  Many times I have left my office only to be surprised by the darkness that has enveloped my car.  Where had the daylight gone?

Today was not one of those days.  Today, I walked out not only to sunlight, but to warm temperatures and a refreshing breeze.  It felt like spring!  I climbed into my car, rolled down my windows, and blasted Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean all the way home.  Oh yes, I am that cool. 

I raced home and sent Chad a text. . .  Are you coming home early?  Yep, he was on his way.  I ran to the bedroom and tore off my work clothes and threw on jeans and a sweater.  I gathered a blanket and dinner for the kids before heading outside to wait for Chad and the kids to get home.

As I stepped outside evidence of spring was inescapable.  It was early evening and the sun was still hanging above the treeline while robins were communicating by song from their claimed branches. 

Chad and the kids rolled into the driveway and I greeted them excitedly with an impromptu picnic dinner in our front yard. 

And just when I thought things couldn’t be any better. . . we caught a glimpse of this. . .

I wish you could have witnessed the sight of Charlie, Chanelle, and I huddled around this tender little flower attempting to woo it out further. . . and inviting it’s entire family to come out as well.  All in due time, I know.  It won’t be long before we overlook the flowers and forget about the beauty of the robin’s song and take for granted the heat of the suns rays.  But tonight. . . tonight we enjoyed it.

I talk about the change of seasons often.  I just love it.  Four times a year we get to celebrate the arrival of a new and exciting season.  While Fall is my favorite, spring is a close second as it brings with it so much newness.  As the ground thaws and the flowers bloom, spring offers a new gift at every turn.  Even baby sister basked in the beauty for a bit.

The gifts of spring are so special and are offered in the best way possible. . . slowly.  Tonight we began the unwrapping.  Tonight we reintroduced ourselves to the outside world.

We laughed and we played and we just existed together.  Not everything went perfectly. . .

And soon the warmth was invaded by a chill. . .

But, I couldn’t have planned a better enticement into spring than we had tonight. 

Tomorrow is supposed to be cold and rainy and we will likely spend most of our day inside.  That’s okay, because I suspect we might be living off the fumes of this beautiful evening for quite awhile.  I can’t think of a better way to step into spring .