So Many Glorious Gifts in One Season

Lord, thank you for the spring. Is there a more beautiful time or place than Lookout Mountain in the spring? I say nay nay.

Twenty-six hundred. That’s the number of daffodil bulbs we have planted in the 10 years since we made Mentone our forever home. My Mary’s birthday is April 12 and, with any luck at all, her birthday gift from me – as has become our custom – will be more daffodil bulbs to be planted in November.

Those bulbs begin peeking their heads above ground in February each year, sometimes even poking through snow to let us know spring and better weather are on their way.

That brings a smile. The flora of spring should bring a smile to you as well. Forsythia and redbud trees also foretell warmer weather, and isn’t that glorious?

College football is fabulous, but basketball is my real passion. Spring is the time of year when conference tournaments have concluded and March Madness is underway. No single weekend brings me more pleasure than the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament, the time when underdogs prevail and so many “One Shining Moments” are born.

Basketball might be number one, but fishing isn’t far behind, and you can be sure April fishing is the best. The bream are beginning to bed and, best of all, big ole bass and rainbow trout will hit topwater lures. If you haven’t seen a fish explode on a topwater plug, amend your bucket list now. Fly fishing is my favorite. The excitement as you watch a dry fly slowly drift across where a trout is likely waiting is palpable.

An old fishing guide out West said it best: “Trout don’t live in ugly places.” Amen, brother. Fish bite best when the azaleas and dogwood trees are blooming. God was in an especially good mood when He created those, if you ask me.

Baseball season is beginning, golf courses are greener, the Masters golf tournament is next week, and that event is one of the greatest spectacles in sport. How about the Kentucky Derby? It’s less than a month away, and aren’t the ladies lovely in their bonnets?

Best of all? Spring means Easter and there’s a reason we capitalize on that. Thank you, God, for the saving grace of Jesus, and for all the gifts of your creation.

We are blessed. Look around today and see them all.