In Which The Weather Changes

Today was such a gorgeous day outside-- it really felt like Spring!  We drove by the most beautiful cherry tree in full bloom today-- it looked like a giant frothy pink petticoat.  There are fat, mysterious buds on the rhododendrons that line our fence in the backyard, and I can't wait to see what color they'll turn out to be.

After being in the dark and the gloom that is Seattle winter weather for so long when the sun comes out it's like the entire world goes a little crazy.  A huge flock of crows was doing an elaborate, raucous mating dance in our parking lot this afternoon.  People were out in mass walking their dogs, doing yard work-- any excuse to get out in the sun.  The highways were jammed with people heading out of town and towards the great wild outdoors. 

It's supposed to rain later this week, and we'll be back to the Eeyore weather.  But the nice thing about the sunny day today is that it reminded me that the nights are getting shorter and the worst of the winter is behind us.  Spring is not here yet, but it's reminding us that it's coming.

I kind of feel that way about our situation, too.  I mean, the last six months we've both been doing a whole lot of waiting.  We're unsure of what the future will bring: how far Jeremy will recover, whether or not he'll be able to stay in the military, whether or not Connor's conditions will remain stable, and what the next few years will look like for us as we continue to adjust to the new challenges in our lives.  Being stuck in limbo for so long hasn't been easy.  But I kind of feel like we're coming out of hibernation: that the new house will make things lighter and happier for us, and that we're over the worst of the bad times at least for now.  As I go through the apartment cleaning the clutter out of our closets and from under our bed, it seems like I'm shaking off some of the detritus that's been weighing us down since August.  Today life seemed pretty wonderful, and the sun beaming down was a reminder of just how far we've come. 

We still won't have any answers to those questions once we've moved and the seasons have changed here.  But we'll at least be one step farther down the road.  And I think that waiting for answers in such a beautiful sun-filled place as our new home will be a tremendous help in making the time pass by more easily, if not more quickly.

It's been a long, dark winter.  But I'm pretty sure Spring is on its way.

~Jess