Here comes the abundance of May

My son was playing with a friend at a park near our house when he texted me.

He was thirsty. Could I bring him a drink? His friend was hoping for a Gatorade.

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes,” I texted back.

I pulled two Gatorades out of the refrigerator and headed over to the field.

Of course, I had a list of other tasks to do. I could have told him to walk home for a drink. But I want my children to know I will show up when they need me. I can’t always be there when they ask, but it’s important to me to come through when I can.

So, I went. As I walked onto the field, I could tell the boys were happy to see me, or as happy as they let themselves seem in their cool young-teen way. They guzzled their Gatorades, and when I left, they were running across the field.

Watching them making the most of a cool spring afternoon, I was struck by how they were enjoying spring with their boundless energy and no specific plan. Surely, that is what spring afternoons should be.

My spring as a grown-up, on the other hand, is packed with schedules that conflict. April was unbelievably full, and I can see May arriving as one giant event-filled tsunami.

The weekdays are packed with school and work galore. When I went to make our grocery list for this week ahead, I realized we have two nights of baseball games, one evening at church, and one night with a school event. Who knows what dinner will look like this week? Somehow it will happen, along with everything else. And this is a good week, where I don’t have to hire a sitter to help with getting anyone anywhere.

Spring truly is a season of abundance with graduations, concerts, school events, sacraments, and the culmination of so much from throughout the year. It is ridiculously packed, but I remind myself again and again that it is abundant with joy. We are so fortunate to have this overflowing schedule, to have too many places to be, and for everyone to be healthy and able to participate.

At Sunday Mass this week, we prayed our way through Psalm 23, and it struck me how poignant that psalm is for any season, for any time.

Through whatever we are handling in our lives, the Lord guides us to still waters, restores our soul, and walks with us. The schedule might feel frenetic and full, and it might seem like too much to handle. It might, in fact, be too much. Nonetheless goodness and mercy pursue us all the days of our lives. We are so blessed.

I found myself thinking of our son and his simple request for a drink—easily asked, easily answered. How fortunate we are that we can turn to the Lord as our Shepherd for every need, however simple or complex.

Thank you, God, for the abundance of everything—and for shepherding us through the busyness of spring.

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