Hope for a weary Minnesotan.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? HOPE in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.

For the first time this year, I have confidence that Spring is almost here. Looking at the calendar, one might say duh, it's been Spring for an entire month already...it's April, dontchaknow. If you had the chance to look out my window or take a stroll around my neighborhood, you would not see green grass or flowers bursting forth from the moist ground, or green leaves sprouting from the once-barren trees. Instead you would see heavy-laden tree branches with snow gently falling from them onto a picturesque snow-covered ground.

It's been over a months since I last posted. It was a post about being grumpy. I hate leaving that as my last post, and I've tried writing several posts to take its place, but they've all come off being grumpy and whiny.  This has been a tough Winter for me. Every snowfall has made me want to cry. Every 10-day forecast has made me want to hybernate and every picture on instagram or facebook of warm places has made me want to take an extended vacation with my little family. It's been a rough and grey 6 weeks. I hate how the weather affects me...and the kids.

This week has been much easier, even if we have received 2 blasts of wintery white stuff in the space of 5 days. The reason it's been so much easier this time around, is because I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel being winter-like weather, the light being 60 and 70 degree days by the end of this week. I am a happy person as I sip my coffee and look outside on the beautiful winterwonderland, knowing that the Narnian saying always winter, but never Christmas (or Spring in this case) is not true! The melting snow and the hot sunshine and blue skies...and our 10-day forecast, are all sure signs that spring is around the bend. It might not look like it now, but I have hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

I'll finish this post with a very familiar verse that I've been struggling to follow this season.