Spring time is taunting us here in Switzerland. When the temperatures crept above freezing last week we slowly came out of hibernation and have gradually been shedding layers of coats, gloves and scarves.

It is still awfully chilly, but our need for fresh air allows us to adjust to the chill of the breeze. We are soaking in the sunshine and looking forward to warmer weather. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy a beautiful snow, and who doesn’t like hot chocolate season?!

But we are all ready for something new. We are ready to get out of this house!!! 

The tulips in front of our house have been trying to press their way up since the beginning of winter when the real cold had yet to arrive. Come, tulips, come!  We are ready for you. We are beginning to see the river near our home go from muddy brown to a bright blue as the snow melts from the mountains and makes its way down. We are watching our trees bud and our once thriving pots of pansies are crying out to be replaced!

I find the changing of seasons so refreshing and necessary for the soul. It’s like just when I get into a rut and get stuck in our old routines, everything shifts.

Spring for me means less arguing about bundling up, sending the kids out to play more outside, resulting in better sleeping around here. It means more sun, longer days and it means I don’t have to move the furniture just to feel some change (which my husband is certainly relieved about).

Spring reminds me of my childhood. I can remember cutting pussy willows from our bush out back and taking them in for show and tell in first grade, and I can remember the year one of our bushes got attacked by caterpillars. The leaves curled up and when you opened them you found squirmy green caterpillars. I remember thinking we had a caterpillar tree and not knowing for quite some time that caterpillars really did not grow on trees.

As we head outdoors these days I find myself, along with my kids so pleasantly surprised all over again as if we had forgotten how refreshing springtime was last year.

Last year I googled spring quotes to add one to our chalkboard. This proverb caught my eye: “No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow”. Last winter felt especially long being in a new place and not having as much of a network to remedy those long, grey days.  This quote was just what I needed.

Whether we are talking about the literal seasons of spring and winter, or seasons of our lives, this is such a good reminder.  It’s so good to be reminded that change comes. You might be in a tough phase with your little one, or in those early days with a newborn when you are getting so little sleep, trying to shake postpartum depression, or potty training.

You might be having a time in your marriage when you feel like you are ships passing in the night, or you might have a child with special needs that is making slow progress on developmental goals that you work on day and night. But the good news is change is constant and new seasons come. Change might be slow, painfully slow some days. And the anticipation of change might turn to impatience before we see the full fruition of the changes.

But change is happening and a new day is coming.

This week we are pulling out the outdoor toys, dusting off the top of the bubble bottle and pushing the big winter coats into the closet until next year. Spring is a process, it doesn’t come over night, but if we let it unfold, it brings rejuvenation and hope for what is to come!  I am excited to see what this Spring brings for our little family. We all have room to change and grow.

What do you enjoy about the changing of seasons?  Or what do you hope will come for you in this new season in your life?

This article is an original post written by Kristen Kolb for World Moms Blog. You can find Kristen blogging about life abroad, motherhood and more at www.seasonsworthsavoring.com.

Photo credit to Kristen Kolb.  Photo may not be duplicated.  

Kristen

Kristen is a stay-at-home to two little boys, Jackson (4 yrs) and Owen (nearly 2 yrs). She was born in New York, but eventually made her way down to Texas. She and her husband, Seth, met in Dallas and were married in December 2005. Nine months into their marriage Seth received a call that he had landed his dream job, one catch, it involved world wide assignment. The adventure took them from Texas to Washington, D.C., on to Bogotá, Colombia and then back to Washington, D.C before bringing them to Bern, Switzerland! Kristen and her family have currently lived in Bern for more than 1 year, where her husband works for the US Department of State. Four moves and 2 children in nearly 6 years of marriage have made for quite the adventure in motherhood! Kristen finds motherhood to be one of the most humbling and character building things she has ever experienced. The responsibility of raising boys with integrity and respect at times feels daunting, but she couldn’t imagine doing anything else! Kristen is a Speech Language Pathologist but has taken time away from working to focus on her family. Although she enjoys the travel and adventure involved in her husband’s career, she often finds herself feeling far from home and working to make the most of time abroad! On her blog, Seasons Worth Savoring, Kristen writes about daily life with two little boys, including her experiences as she navigates a foreign culture and walks by faith. In her free time, or rather in her busy time with two boys attached to her legs, Kristen enjoys cooking, photography, antique and thrift store shopping, working on crafts, and blogging.

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