A Nest for Spring

Homes are very much like people and take on a life of their own. As spring breaks through from the hardened earth of winter, our dwellings can shake off the gloom and echo the vibrant season on the other side of the windowpanes. April is a feast for the senses. Here are some simple ways to engage each within the four walls of your home.

Touch: Out with the heavy wool blankets; in with the lighter throws and silky pillows. Thick drapes give way to gauzy sheers, and cotton replaces velvet like a dream. Airy scarves and breezy sweaters make spring closets a particular pleasure. Other seasonal textures to sprinkle throughout your space include mossy rocks, feathers with downy tufts, and stringy plastic Easter grass. (50 points if you can work in organza somehow!) Want to treat your hands to a more adventurous feel? Hit up your backyard for a good old-fashioned mud pie.

Taste: Break out the salad bar! Seasonal produce is such a welcome change from the heavy comfort foods that get us through the cold months of winter. All hail the days of tea party fare—delicate sandwiches, scones and fresh jam, fairy cakes topped with sprinkles. Strawberry lemonade is cool and sweet (and comes with the bonus of being pink). Homemade banana bread and carrot cake are fantastic spring treats.

Smell: Throw open your windows and breathe in deeply; the scents of rich, jubilant soil and days filled with thunderstorm rise to the King of heaven as worship. Candles are always in season, so just swap out the cinnamon and clove for your favorite floral aroma, and voila! Lemon, lavender, orange, and mint can liven up your space as well.

Sight: Welcome to the parade of pastels. (I’m especially drawn to blush and lilac hues this time of year.) Incorporate speckled eggs and tiny nests to induce an extra punch of childlike wonder in surprising places. Also, bunches and bunches of flowers—try blooms in wicker baskets, spilling out of glossy pitchers, springing up from your cutest pair of rain boots. And indoor plants in candy-colored pots always add charm.

Sound: I find few rhythms as pleasing as rain on the roof, though birds bursting forth their too-long-pent-up songs is a cheerful tune, too. Other spring noises I love are brooks running with melted snow, wind playing with new blades of grass, and music that turns my gaze upon the cross.

No matter how you celebrate this season in your home, remember that there’s a better Home we’re running toward, a better season coming. Just think: we’ll encounter brand-new textures and tastes and scents and colors and noises that we’ve never imagined. Maybe the fabrics will tell stories. Or the flowers will taste like good memories. Or by lighting certain candles, our houses will change colors and hum hymns. We serve a God who delights in creation (and re-creation). Anything we can do to start enjoying Him now in those endeavors will be great practice for a forever with Him.