I love spring, when we’re awakened by birds chirping outside & the whole world turns a bright green. It reminds me of that scene in Cinderella when she wakes up with the birds, singing of better days ahead…

Then I look out my OWN window & see God’s thumbprint on the world around me: Three young (& adorably awkward) baby calves born at the ranch in recent weeks, the world coming alive with colorful flowers & fig leaves after a COLD Texas winter, a tiny bird’s nest hidden just out of sight.

Everything is so, well, new! The essence of spring points us to the newness of life. 

Maybe this is especially on my mind on the heels of Easter Sunday. Isn’t it apropos that Jesus was crucified on the cusp of spring? That whole scene points to our own rebirth – to a new spiritual life – when we accept His sacrifice & begin walking with Him.

Yet at times, we can still hear reality singing that old familiar song: Cinderelley, Cinderelley. The reality of floors to scrub, dishes to wash, bills to pay, jobs to do, (for many) kids to feed. Where is the “spring” & “new life” in that?

Maybe that’s why I’ve always loved this scene in Cinderella ~ where she’s still dreaming of new things on the horizon, despite dressing in “common” clothes & getting ready for her daily chores – labor, really. It doesn’t seem fit for a future princess, does it?

Yet that’s what we are, and we find ourselves doing the same. Some days it seems like we toil and are so far from the gorgeous gowns, handsome princes & glass slippers we feel destined for – the things fairytales are made of.

So why do we still dare to dream? It’s as if God Himself gave us this heart to hope for a brighter future. Maybe because that’s where we’re headed.

We wait for “our prince to come”, only to realize that this is no earthly Prince! I’m not sure ANY man could quite fill the enormous shoes we’ve imagined for him anyway. It’s because our hearts seek a man uncommon to earth. I’m thankful yet a little wistful thinking how I wasted many of my youngest years hoping for “this perfect man” to come, only to realize He has been with me all along.

Who was I waiting for? Has He not been walking step by step with me since I was 3?

What fairytale am I daydreaming of? Did it not begin in my earliest memories, in my toddler dreams?

This morning I awoke to this “song” on my heart, an old favorite from one of the best movie soundtracks ever! 

So let go, let go

Jump in – it’s what you’re waiting for

It’s alright cuz there’s beauty in the breakdown

So what am I waiting for? In Cinderella’s words:

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you’re fast asleep
In dreams you lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep

You wake with the morning sunlight
To find fortune that is smiling on you
Don’t let your heart be filled with sorrow
For all you know, tomorrow
The dream that you wish will come true

No matter your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true

~Cinderella