The blooming mustard fields announce that spring will soon be here. The carpet of bright yellow flowers seems to shout “wake up” from your winter hibernation. Soon the blossoming trees follow, whispering in their beguiling way to hurry outdoors because their appearance is fleeting. Easel in hand, I heed their call. On a good day the air is soft and moist, the view across the rolling pasture a hazy gold. But a great day brings brewing storm clouds and the accompanying chill wind. The dark leaden clouds create a contrasting backdrop, the dramatic meeting of seasons that marks one of my favorite times of year.

My fashion senses are on alert as well. This is the time of year when it is warm one day and bitingly cold the next. Dressed in fabric as light and beguiling as the blossoms, the wind cuts right through you. But who can resist all the bright, fresh color? It’s time to reevaluate my closet contents, but also open myself up to all the longing and beauty that this tender moment in time offers. No matter what my financial circumstances, I find it helpful to approach each season with a sense of abundance instead of deprivation, assured of the pleasure that lies ahead. Perhaps a gift is on the way, or one special purchase will magically tie many of my loose ends together.

It won’t be long before our emerald green hillsides begin to fade into the golden glow of summer and the glistening grass, billowing clouds and delicate frilly pink trees are gone until they return next year. And isn’t it the awareness of this moment what unites us no matter what our circumstances?