{"id":378,"date":"2008-03-10T02:01:02","date_gmt":"2008-03-10T02:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/03\/first-signs-of-spring.html"},"modified":"2008-03-10T02:01:02","modified_gmt":"2008-03-10T02:01:02","slug":"first-signs-of-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/03\/first-signs-of-spring.html","title":{"rendered":"First Signs of Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"

I love spring. There’s something about the reawakening of nature that sparks a reawakening in my own soul.
\nWhen I lived in New England during my college and grad school days, I loved watching for the first signs of spring. Somewhere along in March the tiniest buds would being to appear on the trees. But the earliest true celebration of spring came with the blooming of the crocuses.
\nSince leaving the Boston area in 1983, I lived for twenty-four years in Southern California, where spring is hardly a season. It’s hard to complain when one lives in a place where winter is pretty much non-existent, where flowers bloom year round, and where the temperatures are mostly suitable for short-sleeved shirts. But I did miss the change of seasons, especially the radiance of fall and the turning of winter into spring.
\n\"redbudI now live in the Hill Country of Texas, where we have seasons. Oh, to be sure our winters aren’t like those in the northern part of the country, though we do get below freezing during a couple dozen nights each year. And our summers can be a bit on the long side. But, even so, there are distinct seasons in this part of the world, and I’m glad to be experiencing them again. (Photo: A redbed blooming at Laity Lodge)
\nThe Hill Country is filled with evergreen flora, including live oaks and “cedars.” (They’re really ash junipers, though you rarely hear the correct name.) But we have many trees and bushes that lose their leaves in the winter, producing a dusty brown countryside. The starkness of winter scenery has a certain beauty all its own. But it also prepares our eyes to delight in the coming of spring.
\n\"redbudOne of the first signs of the Hill Country spring emerged from winter sleep last week. The red bud trees began to bloom! While most of the deciduous trees are still slumbering, the red buds sprung forth with their striking purplish-pink flowers. My son insists they should be called “purple buds,” because they’re just not red. (Photo: A closeup of redbud blooms at Laity Lodge. As you can see, the oak in the background hasn’t even begun to bud.)
\nA bit of botany: There are several different varieties of redbud trees in the United States. They are in the genus Cercis<\/em> L., which is a member of pea family. (The “L,” by the way, stands for Linnaeus. Carolus Linnaeus was an 18th-century Swedish botanist who devised the taxonomic ordering of plants that we use today. Ironically, during my college years I lived on Linnean Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, named after Carolus Linnaeus.) Within the United States we the California redbud (Cercis orbiculata<\/em> Greene) and the eastern redbud (Cercis Canadensis<\/em> L.) which has three varieties, all of which grow in Texas: the eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis<\/em> L. var. canadensis<\/em>)the Mexican redbud (Cercis canadensis<\/em> L. var. mexicana<\/em>) and the Texas redbud (Cercis canadensis<\/em> L. var. texensis<\/em>). I’m pretty sure the redbuds I’m seeing in the Hill Country are of the Texas variety<\/a>.
\nSometimes the redbud is called the Judas tree. This Mediterranean species of the redbud (Cercis siliquastrum<\/em> L.), which does not grow in the United States, was traditionally believed to be the kind of tree from which Judas Iscariot hanged himself.
\nAs I was doing a bit of online research about the redbud tree, I thought I’d find out more about the eastern redbud. Perhaps I had seen these when I lived in New England, but had paid close attention. So I Googled on “redbud trees,” looking in “Images” and selecting only “Extra Large images.” To my surprise, the second picture that showed up was of my freshman dorm at Harvard, Straus Hall, with my common room window in full view! Clicking on the thumbnail, I was taken to a website devoted to Harvard Yard Trees<\/em><\/a>. Scrolling down, I found the photo with the caption: “Two redbud trees bloom in front of Straus Hall.”
\n\"strausWere those trees there in 1976, when I experienced my first New England spring? Did I enjoy them at the time, but have long since forgotten? Or were they planted sometime since I left Straus Hall? My guess is that these trees were not there when I lived in Straus Hall. You’ll notice from the photo that the trees are fairly small, indicating that they are younger than 32 years. Moreover, in the last decade or so Harvard has done a major replanting of trees in Harvard Yard. I’m thinking that the trees outside of my dorm were probaby dogwoods, not redbuds, but I’m not sure. (Photo: Two redbud trees bloom in front of Straus Hall at Harvard. Did I live just a few feet away from a redbud? Note: Straus Hall was built in honor of Isidor and Ida Straus, who died on the Titanic.)
\nAt any rate, I enjoyed the irony of Google taking me back to my freshman year in New England, where I first experienced a real spring. Now, 32 years later, I’m even more thrilled by the signs of nature awakening. There’s nothing quite like it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I love spring. There’s something about the reawakening of nature that sparks a reawakening in my own soul. When I lived in New England during my college and grad school days, I loved watching for the first signs of spring. Somewhere along in March the tiniest buds would being to appear on the trees. But…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spring"],"yoast_head":"\nFirst Signs of Spring - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}