The Changing of Seasons: Preparing and Being

Tami Urcia ponders the need to let our hearts be still and relish times of rejoicing.

The first signs of spring are a reason for rejoicing in the colder, northern regions. Here in West Michigan, all the snow has melted, the birds are singing as morning dawns, and although the nights are still crisp, the days are growing warmer. There is no telling when that white stuff might randomly fly a few more times between now and early May, but the fact that spring has officially begun fills us with hope.

The sun’s welcome rays warm us longer and longer each day and the kids start asking to get their bikes and sports equipment out. Just a week or so ago they were complaining that there was too much snow because they wanted to play soccer on the grass, and now they ask, “Can I just wear my sweatshirt today?” when it’s barely 45 degrees out.

Yet, mommy is excited too because the seasons have finally changed and Easter is finally here. Just as the newness of springtime brings us hope, so does Easter, the highest feast of the whole Liturgical Year. And now we get to celebrate it for 50 days! I start thinking about putting away winter gear and giving the house a good cleaning. thinking about what else needs to be done to get ready for the new baby while I still have that second-trimester energy to do it.

Perhaps you’re like me and love to anticipate special times and special days. Perhaps you book your vacations months in advance and already have your Christmas presents bought and wrapped by October. But the truth is, we should learn to simply be during this holiest of times. We should learn to let our hearts be still and relish this time of rejoicing. Let us set aside our worries and our sadness and focus on the fact that Jesus was born to die in order to rise and grant us the promise of heaven.

What does it look like for us to truly celebrate, to experience that peace and joy that can come only from God and the fulfillment of His promise? #catholicmom

There is something to be said about preparing, and we have just finished doing it during the 40 days of Lent. But there is also something to be said about living in the moment, about learning how to celebrate, not only through outward gestures, liturgies or traditions, but deep down in our souls. What does it look like for us to truly celebrate, to experience that peace and joy that can come only from God and the fulfillment of His promise?

I feel like I am caught somewhere in the middle of these two worlds. I am thinking about what else needs to be done to get ready for the new baby while I still have that second-trimester energy to do it, yet I also need to be in the moment for my four littles already born. While my husband and I anticipate the arrival of this new child, we already celebrate its existence.

Perhaps that’s what life is, the constant back and forth of preparing and being, of anticipating and living in the moment. Whatever stage we find ourselves in, may we experience it hand in hand with our beloved, risen Lord.

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