Spring in Alabama is a mix of annoying and beautiful. Annoying because allergies down here are a beast (not in a good way) – my sister-in-law has had cold like symptoms for over a month. Plus, bad weather seems to visit us more frequently (heavy rain, wind, thunder & lightening, tornado warnings, etc). But it’s oh so beautiful because flowers are blooming, birds I’ve never heard or seen before are chirping, & there’s this lingering anticipation for summer.
Overall, I really do like spring here in the south.
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Last week at the elementary school, a couple 1st grade boys ran up to me with a gob of flowers in their hands. “These are for you Ms. Sarah!” they said with huge smiles on their faces. I was beyond surprised and my heart just about melted. Typical girl. 😛
The next day, we were playing with the kids out in the field and quite a few of them came up to me with weeds in their hands. “These flowers are for you Ms. Sarah! And these ones are for the baby.” Ummm, how is that not the cutest thing you’ve ever heard!? <3 I didn’t even care that they were weeds.
One of the 1st grade girls and I figured out how to make a bunch stay together by tying a long piece of grass around it. I felt like I was tapping into my 7year old self again. 😛
While the kids were roaming the field, collecting these weeds to give to me or their mom, I was reminded of my childhood when my brother would come into the house with a handful of dandelions for my mom. She never failed to be excited about them and put them in a small cup with water and placed them by the kitchen window. I always thought this was kind of dumb. They’re weeds. Why was mom getting so excited over Daniel bringing her weeds? But now, I totally get it. It doesn’t matter if their a dozen roses or a fistful of weeds – it’s the thought that these little kids want to do something sweet for you.
It’s funny how some things that were so confusing as children suddenly make sense as an adult! 😉
And finally, as if the flowers (& weeds) from my 1st graders weren’t enough, I came home from small group last Thursday at 8:30pm and found a very giddy Aaron sitting on the couch waiting for me. He told me to turn on the light, so I did, and my eyes instantly drew to TWO gorgeous bouquets of flowers.
Aaron is not one to get me flowers very often, so I was incredibly surprised to see them in my living room. I asked him why he got them (there’s usually a reason), and he said he’s seen how hard this 1st trimester of pregnancy has been on me and he wanted to show me how proud he is of me and that he loves me. Yeah, talk about a heart melt! <3
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Even though the flowers & weeds are either fading or in the trash, I love the memories attached to them even more. 😀