A few weeks ago,
I wrote a short but awkward post about my love for spring. I had an assignment to
write a love letter to a thing, not a person, but I could not think of anything
to write about. One day I was walking through the yard and said out loud, “I
love spring!” Right then and there, I decided to write my love letter to
spring. My post a few weeks ago was my first attempt. My final paper is as
follows. Can you see the difference between my two attempts? I hope you can
because there is a world of difference!
I am very pleased with my grade
on the paper as well as the remarks of my instructor: “Great job, Dianne! I don’t often give a 100,
but this assignment was obviously your strong point. Your descriptions were
lovely. Do you write poetry? You should!”
The Joys of Spring
Dearest
Spring,
I love you, Spring. I have loved
you for a long time; in fact, I have loved you for as long as I can remember. I
especially love your warmth, your dependability, and your agreeable personality.
You are easy to love because you are so pleasant. You delight me so!
I
love the warmth you bring with each visit. Do you remember coming to my
family’s farm in Utah? If so, you might remember how anxious I was to see you.
I was ready to escape the confines of the house that had imprisoned me for the
long months of winter. I remember my joy as I flung off my winter coat and ran
through the fields still wet from the melting snow. I felt wonderful as I
basked in your increasing sunshine.
Spring, I love your
dependability and the fact that I can count on seeing you in my life. I gain
strength enough to endure and even enjoy the winters because I know you will be
here soon. As you know, winters in Alaska are long and extend from October
until April; they are cold and dark due to the five to six hours of daylight
each day and temperatures dropping to twenty degrees below zero at times. The
long, cold, and dark winters make your appearance even better.
I love the way you announce your
presence each year. I remember my first winter in Alaska and my longing to see
you. I remember wondering if the several feet of snow would ever melt. I
watched for you and rejoiced when I found you in a tiny spot of bare earth in
the corner where the back deck joined the house. I could feel my soul healing,
and I could not resist the urge to dig my fingers into the soil. I knew without
any doubt that I have farmer’s blood running through my veins and will forever
have the need to feel the warmth and see the life you bring.
After more than forty years in
Alaska, dear Spring, I see signs of you all around me, recognizing the first
one as the lengthening of the daylight in March. I feel amazement at how your
abundant light affects me personally, and I find pleasure in the beautiful
changes you convey to the world around me. I perceive how your increasing
warmth melts the mounds of dirty, mud-splattered snow to make way for new
growth. I watch how you invite the green tips of the daffodil leaves to slowly
emerge.
As I stroll through the yard, I
recognize your touch on the daisies, lilies, rhubarb, and raspberries as they
awaken from their winter’s sleep. I appreciate your influence on the individual
blades of grass as they turn green and start to grow. Dear Spring, I see the
robins with their red breasts, preparing their nests and searching for insects
and worms in the newly raked grass. I see your touch on the birch trees growing
a few feet from my kitchen window. I enjoy watching the buds form on the
branches and unfold into leaves.
I see evidence of your balminess
and beauty all around me. I can barely tolerate the many hours inside doing
housework and studying for my classes; I hear your siren call, bidding me to
escape once again from the house and bask in your company in the mosquito-free
bliss of my surroundings. I thank you for being so cordial and dependable in your
stopovers. You make my heart sing just because you are here! I love you,
Spring, and I am so happy to see you!
Love,
Dianne
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