There comes a day in the mountains of my home when I can finally say that Spring is here to stay. That day was today. April was getting ready to give way to May. A rain the day before had made the air so fresh that I could feel my lungs expand joyfully with each new breath. The sunshine had chased the clouds away and seemingly over night a million little dandelions had appeared to reflect its yellow light. Butterflies and bumblebees were bouncing from flower to flower collecting food and giving back beauty and delight. Woodpeckers were knocking out their own drumbeat in the woods beyond the meadow behind my house. A Mother Robin had returned to rebuild her nest in a nearby Maple. Dozens of different bird songs were filling the air and when I looked skyward I could see a Hawk gliding gracefully on the wind high above my head. In the distance I could see a little girl running and laughing while a playful puppy chased behind her.

I stayed outside walking my dogs for a long time, rejoicing in the day and laughing as my dogs barked and barked at two rabbits before the bunnies finally bounced away. I thought about the wonders of this world, its endless beauty, and the intricate complexity of it all. Then I said to myself, "If God could work such wonders in His glorious creation then what wonders could He work in our hearts if we only let Him?" Perhaps we could finally love freely, openly, and fearlessly. Perhaps we could finally create a world where no child ever went hungry, where war was a distant memory, and where each generation felt more loved than the last. Perhaps we could finally succeed in bringing a whole lot of Heaven down here to Earth.

Keep your hearts open to God then. Be as willing as a Spring day to accept His love, joy, and light. Let God work wonders in you and through you today, tomorrow, and forever.