Three Snows After Forsythia.

This week in Williamston, the weather is changing. Frost covers my windshield less, and the sun is beginning to peek out from behind the clouds more often.

On Sunday, I was driving north on M-52 when Cecilia said, “I love it when that shows up.” I looked over and there it was — a field already turning green, tiny shoots covering the ground. Just a few weeks earlier, I had stopped at the same corner, and the field was covered in snow. I took a moment to breathe in its beauty before traveling on.

It won’t be long before the daffodils begin pushing their way through the soil, reaching for the sun. Spring will arrive, and with it, the warmth. I find myself longing for that time — not for my own sake, but because I know how much joy it brings to the congregants of First Baptist, and even to the little congregation that makes up my home.

Before you get too excited, though, old farmers offer a word of wisdom: there will be three more snows after the forsythia blooms. In Michigan, forsythia usually appears in late March or early April.

You may disagree, but each year I’ve taken the time to notice, the wisdom has held true.

Once, my dad mentioned this to a radio host, who turned it into a little on-air debate: Who thinks this is nonsense? Who thinks it’s true? Sure enough, it snowed three more times.

Spring has a way of teaching patience.

Happy Spring, friends.

Bless you,
Pastor