My Baby Leaves Opened

As most of you know, every spring I excitedly anticipate the arrival of baby leaves. Once more I share my story, in hopes it will encourage the hearts of others who need a special sign from God.

It all started one cold, winter day when God gave me baby leaves to remind me of His hope. It was a difficult time in my life, and while I was walking our dog, Sparky, my eyes fixed on the maple tree behind our house. Stripped of all its colorful clothing, it looked dead. Just like my heart, I thought. And then I remembered baby leaves. Here is an excerpt of the article I wrote about them:

"Last February, I began watching the buds develop on the maple tree in my backyard. I couldn't remember ever taking the time to watch leaves grow, and decided I'd see firsthand how God have them birth.

"Sparkie and I would stop every evening on our walk to look for any development. It was a slow beginning, but finally--one day in April--the buds opened.

"Long tentacles reached out, as many as 10 or 15 from each bud, as I remember. At the end of the tentacles were blossoms and at their base were leaves. The leaves were bound together, just like the cold buds had been. As the weather warmed, they began to unfold.

"My heart tingled with excitement when the leaves began to open. My husband Jerry was at the garden and I remember yelling excitely to him: "Come quick! The leaves are opening."

"Half-inch baby leaves, perfectly shaped, stretched their little frames for all the earth to see.

"In one week, some leaves had grown to 3 inches in length. My eyes couldn't believe the transformation. As the leaves grew, the blossoms were blown to the ground. I walked on yellow drops of sun splattered all over the place. I had witnessed the birth of one of God's creations."

This year, my baby leaves opened while I was on vacation. But as the picture above shows, I still had baby leaves to see when I returned. God's wondrous hope to me!