Toward the end of February, I begin to display all the symptoms of spring fever. I'm not alone.
Our residents start to get excited for the usual spring activities--Spring Drives, Greenhouse Outings, jaunts through the courtyard.
It's still too early to do those things, but it's not too early to think about them.
So here we are, staring out at the bleak brown and grey that is the end of February, and dreaming instead about the lush bright green of spring grass and new leaves.
Each season brings change, and we who work in assisted living facilities know it better than most. The coming spring reminds me of last year when a different resident, now passed on, lived in this room. The Spring Drive reminds me of another year, when different residents occupied the window seats.
It's melancholy to think this way, I know.
But it helps that Easter falls right in the middle of these thoughts. Because of Easter, these faces that have gone on are not gone forever. Because He rose from the dead, we can see our loved ones again.
And while that's a sermon for Easter Sunday, it also gives me hope for the now--while the seasons are changing and the memories are flooding back.