Spring on my Window Sill

When we arrived in Japan on February 9 it was very cold and rainy. This Tuesday (March 9) marks 1 month and we are beginning to see some signs of spring. The plum blossoms are blooming and as we drive along the mountain road between Ikoma and Kyotonabe we see beautiful pink and white trees. On one of our trips we stopped at a little market and there they had some potted plants out front. Steve spied a beautiful salmon colored tea rose for only 196 yen ($1.96 approx). "Oh could I buy it for our little upstairs flat" I said. "Yes, let's get it" said Steve and so we brought it home. The blossoms have turned a lovely soft pink with new buds promising more flowers. It makes our place look more like home and a bit like spring. Then just the other day our cousin Gregg gave me a Hyacinth bulb. The leave that were beginning to grow were pure white from being hidden under a covered area to protect them from the frost. On the drive home from Kyoto Chapel I held the vase with the bulb between my feet so it wouldn't spill. By the time we got home the leaves were already beginning to turn green from the little sunlight it got in the car. I placed it in the window next to the rose and each day the leaves have gotten greener and greener and just today the leaves have begun to open up a bit. Maybe soon there will be a purple blossom at the top. So today as I watch the rain from inside our apartment and I feel the cold off the glass, I have a little bit of Spring on my window sill. The promise of sunny and warmer days. Psalm 84:2b"...my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God."