Spring

When I was a kid, we had a horse named Princess. She wasn’t the best for riding, because she was a bit rough when she ran. She was different with my little brother. With him in the saddle, she’d practically tiptoe as if aware that the cargo was precious. We took her with us camping a few times and let her carry most of our things. For that, she was excellent, content to be led as we all walked, my dad holding the halter and speaking softly to her.

It was my dad who decided it might be fun to have two horses. One day he loaded Princess into the trailer and explained that he was taking her to his friend’s house for a visit. It was a successful visit, and several months later we could see that Princess was expecting a foal.

The baby came in the spring. We kids were told that our mom would get to name her. Now, my mom was extremely creative. She could sketch. She could paint. She could sew just about anything. I won’t take the time to list her talents and abilities, but just know that she could do so many things and do them with a creative mind. And so, when she dared to name that foal Spring, I was more than a little disappointed. Spring? That was as good as she could do? And her uncharacteristically uncreative reason was that the foal was born in the spring! I questioned her choice. I tried to tell her that there were better names. But she just smiled and stated (annoyingly) that the foal was born in the spring so her name was Spring.

I lost my mom eighteen years ago. I am one hundred percent certain that if she were still here, I could call her and remind her of that horse, and I could tell her how dumb the name was, and she’d still just laugh and tell me that she could name that horse whatever she pleased. Writing this, I cannot tell you how much I would love to do that!

This spring, take some time not only to appreciate the new beginnings all around you, but also those springs of long ago. Maybe it was a new friend, or perhaps the first time you really noticed the details of a flower’s petal or the dew on the grass. Maybe it was just something silly that can still make you smile. And if you are fortunate enough to have a shared memory with someone that you can still call, pick up the phone and say, “Remember when…” And just like that, you will get to enjoy that springtime moment all over again.