Yay Spring!

Oh, how I love spring! This season is a particularly special gift from God to me. Ok, maybe it isn’t just to me, but I feel the hope in spring very personally, don’t you? After the darker days of winter, our skies are starting to lighten up with longer days, the critters are waking up, and my heart is crying out for the sun to warm me inside and out.
In early March, the buds on my maple tree start to turn red and open, and seeing those buds solidifies my joy. This is also the time my husband puts out all the birdhouses. We have a tall pole that normally would be holding gourds in six places, but our pole holds six handcrafted, old-fashioned trailer birdhouses. My husband and I saw something similar at a craft show and now he has created a trailer park for the birds.
No sooner did the houses go up in the air than the birds started to investigate. I had been watching them around the feeder for at least three weeks, making their mating moves, and now they will have colorful trailer nests for their young.
Wild birds are easy to please and Neil and I are easily pleased by them, so we’ve made our yard a small bird haven here in Ocean City. After we bought our house, we planted a magnolia and a maple tree in the backyard, and they are now quite large. 
Close to the birdhouses, we have a fountain that spills water from a sculpture of a woman pouring out from a jar into the large fountain bowl below. We bought this fountain years ago locally at Massarelli’s in Egg Harbor City, which was such a fun place to visit. If I remember correctly, we spent the better part of a day wandering through their creations and deciding exactly what we wanted and what color it should be.
The birds love to splash and drink from the fountain. We have even had wild ducks take a dip. One day a few years back, while sitting on the bench under the maple, we had the privilege of watching a tiny hummingbird wash in the flow of the spilling water. I was giddy for a week, telling anyone who would listen. It is so wonderful that God allows us to enjoy those special moments watching his creatures.
Early on, we had a wonderfully unique dark blue bird at the feeder, which caused me to call the Cape May Bird Observatory. This beautiful bird got me very curious about our part in the Atlantic Flyway and I wanted to find out what kind of bird it was.
The lady on the phone was kind and helpfully explained that we had spotted an Indigo Bunting. It took a gorgeous and unusual bird to pique our interest enough so that Neil and I went down to the Bird Observatory in Cape May Point to find out more information on birds in our area. 
If you have not been to the Observatory, I highly recommend a visit. We purchased a couple of books on birds, looked around, chatted with the helpful people, and enjoyed the views set up to focus our attention outdoors on the wild birds.
I think it is just marvelous that God saw fit to fill our planet with all types of flying things (well, except mosquitoes) and other wonderful critters that we can enjoy every day. We just need to go outside or have a favorite window and a bit of seed, and we are set for some wonderful moments.  
Our local squirrel has been visiting and I enjoy watching his antics, as well. On one branch of the magnolia, we place a filled corn cob holder, and he loves to hang upside down as he gathers the kernels.
I usually have a couple of raw peanuts in the shell to offer to him and if I am not at my kitchen window when he visits, he climbs up on the rocker on the patio to make himself more visible. I only surmise this because of the remnants of seed shells I find on the rocker.
I feel so very blessed by God in the spring.
Life renews and despite all that is going on in the world, God proves to us year after year that He is still in control. The birds will still sing, and the critters will wake from winter’s slumber to start new families. 
As much as man thinks we’re in charge of the Earth, I can tell you that the Bible says this is God’s creation and it will only end when He chooses it to end. In 2 Peter 3:10, we read, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”
We are not in charge and thankfully God is.
Let us enjoy our time this spring among the living creatures that God has blessed us with. Each day of our lives is a gift from God Himself. As we observe the wonders of God’s creation, we can renew our minds and hearts as we remember to praise God the creator of all things.
Spring also reminds us that the celebration of Easter is just around the corner. Easter is the perfect time to renew or revive our faith. Or, if you or a loved one have not yet decided to join the family of God, this is a wonderful time to seek out the truth of the living God of the Bible. Find a Bible-teaching church and enjoy learning of the wonders of God’s glorious mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Come and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus with us.
Happy Spring! 
ED. NOTE: Amy Patsch writes from Ocean City. Email her at writerGoodGod@gmail.com.