“Only so many summers..... so many springs”—from The Last Worthless Evening by Don Henley

“Stop and smell the roses”— Mac Davis

Someone actually told me once that springtime made her sad. When prodded as to the ‘why?’ behind this incredulous statement, this person explained that she was much happier in the wintertime.

“Give me a dreary, cloudy, and cold day anytime. Spring reminds me of death and it makes me sad. Yes, things grow, but then they die!”

Well as my good friend Duane Allen might say...… “Well Double DUH!”

I might add that this person also preferred NOT to watch a sunrise or a sunset. How can someone be so wrong? A stupid question, I guess, considering we live in a world that contains Tom Dacshle, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. Most of these liberal types are seemingly wrong about everything but I have to think that even Hillary Clinton likes tulips! Well, maybe not.

How can a person’s fear of death or anything else prevent one from enjoying this precious time of rebirth and, yes.... OPTIMISM! A bad word for the glass half-empty crowd, who would rather wallow around in self pity and defeat while the dogwoods are blooming.

As a baseball fan, I love the fact that my Phillies—and your Cards or Mariners or Diamondbacks—all start the year with a fresh slate. O and O, baby. We are ALL in first place in April.

Of course, October is another story. When the leaves turn colors, every team but two is all but gone, and just one (probably the Yankees) wins it all.

But, hey, wasn’t that fun? YES, except for maybe the Red Sox and Cub fans out there, but, didn’t even YOU think that they had a chance this year? Sure you did! OPTIMISM!

Spring just makes me feel that way. I will never be able to go the other direction on this. Sure, the daffodils and tulips and bridle wreaths only bloom for a little while, and then they are gone for another year. But while they are here.........WOW.

The warm air, the new leaves, the bright floral colors all speak volumes. I believe that the red color on a Cardinal or a tulip is red as God meant it to be. The same with the green on a new leaf or the blue of a clear sky. The yellow color of a Goldfinch is...... yes, YELLOW!

Sounds obvious, but so many people miss out on these observations and blessings. Ah, yes, did I mention birds? I love BIRDS!

I have been asked many times, “Tell me something about you that your fans and friends might not know. Something that would surprise them.”

My answer is usually centered around my farm. Most people cannot picture this old Philadelphia city boy sitting on a big John Deere tractor cutting a big pasture so that answer is usually sufficient. Only my singing partners and my precious family know of my real passion for birds. I have loved them since I was a kid, and even that is kind of strange, I guess. The only birds that seemed to live on Jasper Street were English Sparrows and dirty old Pigeons.

But, come spring, Mr. Robin Red Breast even came to Philly, and I always loved him.

I had these little plastic bird models on my dresser right next to my model planes and tanks and jeeps. I put them together myself. Not always a good thing. I am not very artistic when it comes to art. My mother spent a lot of time scraping drops of Ducco cement off of, well....... a lot of stuff. My little bird models weren’t very well put together, but I loved them.

Even today, on my shelf at home I have about twenty little wooden collectibles of birds of all kinds. Mary buys them for me from time to time, and they are very well put together! No caked up glue or paint bubbles anywhere!

If one cannot sit down for a while and enjoy the sweet song of a Meadowlark or the coo of a Mourning Dove or the kee kee sounds of a Kildeere, then I feel kind of sad for you. If the flight of a Red Tailed Hawk or the nest-building prowess of a Barn Swallow doesn’t move you in some way, I think that maybe you need to slow down a little and take notice. Hey, I am performing over 200 shows this year, plus promoting a book, and I find the time. In fact, I believe that it is imperative to do so.

A mild spring day. Mary and I, building a flower garden. Mulch and dirt in my fingernails. The smell of freshly cut grass and honeysuckle floats by on a dream. The distant sound of a Woodpecker hammering on an Oak tree.
The turkeys and deer preparing to mate so that we might have more turkeys and deer.

Early evening as dusk builds into darkness, the bullfrogs begin to croak out their droning and amusing mating call, as the ponds and creeks begin to come alive. The crickets and tree frogs chirp as a million or so lightning bugs blink across the pasture like some obscure Disneyland.

This is life, folks, and this is living! Only so many springs.

Sure death is around the corner, but isn’t it always? Besides, Jesus took care of that little concern on the Cross of Calvary. In Him, we have eternal life and..... check this box, life more abundantly while we dwell on this planet.

My Bible tells me that, yes, man is appointed once to die but if our hearts are right with God, there is no sting in death and no victory whatsoever in the grave. So why concern yourself with that? It is simply a waste of good time and energy that could be spent enjoying the aforementioned abundance, which is manifested so beautifully in springtime.

In the classic Gospel song, Come Spring written by Dottie Rambo, her mother rejoices in the fact that before the roses grow in her garden, she will be with Jesus. She hates to miss the coming magic of the season, and she probably never realized that the last spring would be her last. But she is ok with this because, as a born again Christian, she knows that her next season will be spent with the One who gave us springtime to begin with. Imagine springtime in Heaven! Whoa now!

My good friends, while we are still breathing oxygen into our present day bodies, I beseech you. Please take a moment. Sit yourself down on a rock by a creek side for a while and enjoy God’s gifts. Clear you mind and open your heart to God and His son. Let some optimism into your life. These are tough times but not really much different or tougher than any other time.

The Bobby McFerrin song of a few years ago says, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” I will add, trust in Him with all of your heart and soul, and He will bless your life beyond comprehension—in this season and well beyond.

Perhaps He will open your eyes to the amazing beauty of springtime, just in case you are so busy that perhaps you are missing out on it.

Take that day in the country. Smell the flowers, watch the birds, listen for the symphony. We only have so many springs and this year.......?

Hopefully the wars will end, our Boys and Girls will come home, the Meadowlark will sing a new song and, perhaps....... even the Cubs and Red Sox will get off to a good start!

Celebrate life. (JSB)