Fresh Starts (with a side of sunshine, free coffee, and quesadillas)

I feel like each entry on this my blog is some kind of fresh start, as in every three months I get a new wave of fresh-startness and write a new post. But, Christ is risen, and everything is forgiven in the Resurrection, right? We'll see if I can stick with it this time.

In any case, it is mid-April, and we have our first sunny AND warm day! Spring is the ultimate time for fresh starts. It definitely helps that the sun comes out, to revive us Northwesterners from winter lethargy; and even though it's nearly the end of the school year, I certainly feel inspired to re-commit to my work as if the year was just beginning.

So, after leaving work early today, I slipped on a sundress, grabbed a mug and my homework, and head over to Starbucks. Apparently, in observance of Earth Day (and as an aside, may I say that God picked a gorgeous day for Earth Day?), I could bring my own cup and get a free coffee. Free coffee, outdoor seating in blaring sunshine, perusing Anna Karenina, studying German with enthusiasm...and being so happy that I could hardly care if I was indeed getting a sunburn. Because believe me, having joy brought back into studying German is a long-lost gift! Many things have been restored, and there's only God to thank for that.

If my study endeavors were not encouraging enough, on my way home I made fast friends with the young man who runs the quesadilla stand near campus and got a rather nice little quesadilla to go. Made with local products and cooked over an open flame in a terra-cotta-thingy, I think I would just call it delightful. I mean, cheerful service, renewable energy, cheese...that's all-around happiness. As I walked home with my quesadilla, thinking about the combination of the bits of today, I just grinned over how lavished we are with goodness. There are good things everywhere, and fresh starts to be had not just on sunny days, but every single day.

Now for an evening walk!

Yours, etc.