Monday Mugs || Soon Enough

I woke up this morning to sunshine and birds singing. Outside, it looks like spring. But I live in Michigan and I know better.

It’s never really clear what season we’re in here in Michigan. We even have a saying that goes, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait eight minutes and it will change.” That’s what it feels like sometimes. A couple weeks ago we had a foot of snow. Now it’s all gone and it seems like spring’s here. But I’ve learned not to get my hopes up too soon. April snowstorms are not uncommon.

Sometimes it feels like we’re in a constant state of waiting—waiting for spring, then for summer, then for sweatshirts and fireplaces and Christmas traditions. And then it begins again. But instead of waiting to do anything, the seasons help me live in the moment.

Though it often feels like spring, summer, or fall can’t come soon enough, the seasonal rhythm reminds me to enjoy it while it’s here, because it will be gone soon enough.

I’ve visited Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan’s UP in late spring and early fall, and the difference just two-ish months can make is amazing. It is a remarkably different experience, with different things to enjoy: the sheer amount of water rushing over the rocks in the spring, and the gentle trickle of the river, slowly evaporated by summer’s heat. You can’t enjoy both of those things at the same time.

I found this mug in the gift shop and I thought it was an incredibly accurate depiction of Michigan weather. But more than that — it reminds me of that steady rhythm of the seasons. And the faithfulness I see in that rhythm. And in the One who created it. And He’s the best rhythm of all.

Monday Mugs is where I tell the stories behind my coffee mugs. Each one holds a story (and coffee, of course) of somewhere I’ve been or something I’ve seen. Because if even a coffee mug has a story, so do you. The photos are my actual mugs, not lookalikes found online. So grab one of your own mugs (fill it with coffee first) and hear the stories of mine. And don’t forget the cream and sugar.