April Fools?

It's a new month.

It's also the day famous for practical jokes. Not being a huge fan of the practical joke, I was reflecting this morning on two memories from April Fool's that don't involve jokes.

There was the day many, many years ago (not even sure how many now) when April Fool's also fell on Good Friday, and our family received a phone call telling us that some dear friends were about to have a long desired baby. The trouble was, the baby was coming about 4 weeks early, and because it was April 1st, it took the poor dad to be (who also had a reputation for enjoying a good joke) quite some time to convince my mom that his wife was in fact, in labor. It was an odd mix - the remembering of Good Friday's suffering, with the anticipation of welcoming a special little guy into the world. Many things have happened in the years since that day, and our two families have become disconnected, but I don't think I'll ever forget the emotions of waiting for that little guy to enter the world.

And, a year ago tonight, I received an email from a friend on the other side of the country. A happy email. She wrote something to the effect of, "Shh. We haven't told many people yet, but thought since we'd chatted about our relationship in Malta that you should be among the first to know. P. proposed to me tonight, and he assures me that it wasn't an April Fool's Joke!" I had the privilege of attending their wedding in Newfoundland last fall.

I'm needing some happy memories today.

It's a new month.

The first quarter of the new year is now past, the "newness" of the year is wearing off, and it hasn't brought with it any of the things I'd hoped for or expected.

And, it snowed again overnight.

So, this morning I'm focusing on happy memories, and praying for the coming of new things, the restoration of hope, and the arrival of spring - physically and metaphorically.