Kim Wilbanks

Spring Has Sprung

It’s that’s time of year. The seasons are changing once again. We’re hearing about fewer snowstorms and more tornados. Signs of new life emerging from the dead of winter. (Or in Florida, the slightly cooler and browner of winter).

In the past couple of months, I have made five trips and have seen the evidence of the change in seasons. Of course, living in Florida, we’re pretty much a season ahead of everyone else. Trees and bushes were flowering back in January and February.

Typically, Mother’s Day signals the beginning of hotter weather. This year is no different, almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Here in central Florida, we’re definitely not accustomed to your traditional four seasons. 

But, on those five trips, I had the opportunity to venture into cooler weather and spring time scenery.

Five Springtime Trips

First, I visited my daughter in Birmingham. While it still looked like winter, we even got a dusting of snow one morning, many of the trees were sprouting their new green leaves. These new leaves are one of my favorite things about spring.

Texas was warmer but there were still a lot of bare trees. We marveled at the extravagant tulip display at the Dallas Arboretum. What says spring more than beds of tulips?

A trip to Colorado to attend a wedding was the coldest and closest to winter. Even so, the weather was mild while we were there and it was evident the snow was melting. 

A quick trip to New York City with a group of friends was a blast. I wrote about that last week. Throughout the city, we saw little pockets of spring — beds of spring blooms and flowering trees. A riot of color in an otherwise steely gray city.

Our most recent trip took us back to Birmingham, to the mountains of North Carolina and to Nashville. The stark contrast of the dark tree trunks and branches with the pale green leaves on the pecan trees in Alabama was stunning. North Carolina looked the most like winter but scattered among the bare trees were flowering trees full of color. I found it interesting that a type of tree that bloomed in my parents’ yard back in January was just now blooming in the mountains of North Carolina. 

Other signs of the changing season included fields full of calves running around, hikers on the road close to the Appalachian Trail and more people dining al fresco.

Seasons in Life

A change in seasons on the calendar isn’t the only change in seasons. I’m on the threshold of a new season in my life and this Mother’s Day weekend seems like a good time to talk about it.  Earlier this year, my husband and I found out that we are going to be grandparents.  Our son and daughter-in-law are expecting their first child in September. Naturally, we are very excited about this new season.

I find it ironic that about a week ago, as I was getting ready to go somewhere, I noticed a big patch of gray hair. Yikes! Well, I guess if I’m going to be a grandmother, that’s not such a bad thing.

How about you? Are you in or about to be in a new season of life? Are you looking forward to it or are you anxious about it? I would love to hear.