Does spring make you think of youth?
Spring is the time of birth: new buds on trees; beautiful, new flowers; and baby everything – chicks, bunnies, puppies, kittens, lambs, calves, foals. Birds are trilling and building their nests. The whole world feels fresh and young after the long, cold days of winter.
In people, youth has two faces, I think, both resulting from inexperience. On the one hand, youth can be rash, rude, foolhardy, and gullible. On the other hand, a child generally has a sense of adventure, expectancy, and innocence.
This blog is about that second face – those endearing qualities of youth that make us remember our own young days with nostalgia.
Virginia
A few decades ago, when I was in my 20s, I had a revelation about youth. In those days, I used to attend a Bible study in the home of a woman named Virginia. Virginia was 80something. She had a lovely home and comfortable circumstances financially. But her husband was schizophrenic – and sometimes he threatened violence.
Virginia could have sent him off to an institution. Instead, she cared for him at home with tenderness and respect. She could have been forgiven if she complained about her life or criticized her husband. She never did. And, as much as anyone I’ve ever known, that lady’s face was radiant with her love for the Lord Jesus Christ.
One day after leaving Virginia’s home and thinking about the rich beauties in her character, I wrote, “Be Young.” I was nearly six decades younger than Virginia, but, in her, I recognized all the best attributes of youth.
Be Young
Be young! The time is now
While the spirit of springtime flows in your veins.
Love life. Live life. Rejoice.
Be sunshine, be wind, be rain.
Cherish each moment,
Treasure each day,
Lest as a flower,
Youth shall wither away.
Be a song, be a dance, be laughter;
Be all that you can be.
Love all that you can love.
Be young, be wild, be free.
How Young Are You?
A poet named Samuel Ullman wrote, “Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind…it is a matter of the will, quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.”
And, according to actress Sophia Loren, “There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”
Today is March 19. In the northern hemisphere, spring is just around the corner. I hope you are sensing all the freshness and promise of a new spring.
But don’t wait for the first robin or the first crocus or the budding of the mesquite trees (the definitive West Texas sign that winter is over.) No, look within yourself and find spring there.
And be young today. Be young every day!
My thanks:
To Brainy Quotes for providing an amazing collection of quotes.
And to shapkasushami on pixabay for the featured image.