Promises

It's a beautiful day and I chose to spend it doing homework at Panera. And what always happens when you settle in to get things done? Unrelated inspiration. So homework will just have to wait a few more minutes.
A week ago, Johnson City was covered in snow. I didn't leave my apartment last Thursday except to take pictures of the tiny snowman that my sister built for me. And today it is in the 60s. The sky is a bit overcast but there are patches of blue and a comfortable brightness. I'm sitting by the wall of windows at Panera and soaking it all in. 
I know that this glimpse of spring may be only temporary. Mother Nature is a temptress. For all I know, this time next week we could be covered in another foot of snow. Or wading through six inches of rain to get to classes. I certainly hope not, but I am not blind to the risks. However, I feel joy and happiness at this week's reminder that spring is coming.
I suppose that we all go through seasons when we feel like we are waiting. Waiting for answers, for milestones, for ends or beginnings. I feel like I'm in one of those seasons - literally and figuratively. I am more full of joy and peace than I ever have been in my life, but there is still waiting. And this week has reminded me that God has promised things. As He has promised that winter passes into spring, this season of waiting will also pass into a more full understanding of who He is and what He is doing. 
And so as I type this, I breathe in the fresh, teasing air. I may have more cold air to breathe in before the warm air is here to stay. But as I breathe it out, I'll know I'm one breath closer to another one of His promises fulfilled.
There's a tree outside my window that is losing all it's leaves, and it looks as if it's crying but the cold will not retreat. Even in the coldest winter, still the spring is on its way, and everything that once was dying  will bloom and take our breath away. Tyrone Wells