Springtime

It’s my honor to present the sixth guest post (the first guest post in the 2022 series). If you’d like to write a guest post yourself, please see the link above. This week’s guest post was written by my Dad, the wisest person I know. If I could emulate any of my Dad’s traits, it’d be his intentional approach and joyous outlook on life. I always have fun when I spend time with my Dad. Thank you Dad for taking the time to share your writing!

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Spring stepped lightly toward Winter’s house, but even so, the earth felt her presence. She lifted her hand to the sky, and fingers of warm sunlight penetrated grey clouds. She braced her shoulder against Winter’s gales, and the earth felt only a gentle breeze. She raised her flowered cape over the sky, and cold snow turned to rain. She whispered to the trees, and the birds sang back.

Winter rarely roused himself from bed now, but he felt her presence as well. Sighing a blast of frosty air, he rose from bed, leaning heavily on his staff of ice. Donning his cloak of unmelting snow, he hobbled toward the door.  He paused at the window to raise his staff to the sky.  Filling his lungs, he blew sharply on the head of his staff. A storm rose outside and snow began to fall.  Winter smiled even as he coughed.  He wasn’t completely without power, even now.  He paused only once more to put something on the table and then began the  three month journey to the south where he would bring sleep and quiet to other lands.  

When Spring came to the house, she found the door open and walked in. Winter had left the house bare, quiet, and cold. There was nothing but the bed and a small wood table. But on the table was a scrap of paper as white as newly fallen snow.  On the note she read five words, “Dearest S, Happy Birthday! Win” Spring chuckled to herself, as she realized today was March 20, her birthday.  And, as happened from beyond the memory of even the oldest mountains, the land and the animals on it felt the warmth of that smile and rejoiced in the renewal of life.