Spring is just around the corner here in Minneapolis…or so I hope.  We are experiencing another slew of snow, expecting maybe 10 inches by tomorrow night!  But nevertheless, spring will come eventually.  And if not indicated by the weather, the calendar will say “goodbye” to winter in just a few weeks.

This morning, I was reflecting on last year’s spring; and it’s difficult to believe that another year has passed.  My life has changed so dramatically since then.  A year ago, Brian and I decided to begin trying to have kids (a decision that we made relatively quickly, which is so typical for us); and by the end of March, we were thrilled to learn that I was pregnant.  The next few months were filled with excited anticipation–everything that spring should be.  New growth and new life surrounded us.  It was a wonderful season.

Little did we know that new life was to be extremely short.

Three months later, on May 21st, we went in for a routine prenatal visit.  The midwife attempted to find our baby’s heartbeat but could not.  A few hours later, an ultrasound confirmed the terrible news: our baby’s heart was not beating.  Just like that, spring ended; and we jumped to winter–a bitterly cold, bleak, grey winter.

Now, just one year later, I am pondering the similarities and (hopefully) differences between last spring and this upcoming spring.  Today, I am 36 weeks pregnant, with our estimated due date almost exactly the same day we discovered I was pregnant a year ago.  This season is again filled with excited anticipation; yet it is so different from the last.

I am amazed at how quickly God blessed us with another child, and I can’t wait to meet this little boy that moves around constantly (he’s already a runner)!  Much of the pain of last year has been eased, allowing me to experience a spring filled with new growth and life again.  I have not forgotten that sudden winter; nor do I think I ever will.  

But I can look forward and pray that this spring leads into summer, as it should.

ImageImage