When the Daffodils Bloom

I am absolutely in love with this time of year. The flowers blooming, the birds chirping...the allergies... Just kidding on the last one! Spring is the time when I like to think that the earth is rejoicing after a long rest during winter. Another great reason why I love spring? Because this is the time of year that I celebrate three of the people that I love the most in the world. My Mom, my Brother, and my Boyfriend. All three of them have birthdays in April, and today I am going to focus on one in particular. 18 years ago, God gave me the best present a girl could ask for, a little brother. I was four years old, and as the only girl in my family in over 64 years, pretty happy as the "Pickle Princess." When my Mom first let me know that my rule was about to be over, I was very nervous, but excited. I wanted to know just how long it would take for my little brother to get here. In true Elementary school teacher form, my Nanie came up with the perfect way for me to know when Hunter would be here. 

She wrote a book about it.

The book was called "After the Daffodils Bloom" and it was the perfect way for me to understand how long it would take before my Little Brother could be here. It started out with the beginning, me, finding out about Hunter, and asking the question, "BUT WHEN??"

After Thanksgiving, when all of the turkey is gone.

BUT WHEN? 

After Halloween, and all of its goodies are enjoyed. 

BUT WHEN?

After Christmas, and all of the presents are opened.

BUT WHEN?

After your Fifth birthday, it is coming soon!

But...when??

After Valentines day, once you are reminded that everyone loves you.

In March, the flowers will begin to bloom, but there is a certain flower that must bloom before your little brother gets here. 

The Daffodils! 

After the daffodils bloomed, and the spring continued on, one day I was told, Today is the day!

Hunter is here!

I am paraphrasing the book of course, because it is safely tucked away at my house. The point to this post though is that reading isn't just about statistics. It's about relationships. It's about families coming together with a love of stories, of adventures, and books. What I want to challenge all of you to do this week is to find something that pertains to your family, and read about it. Then write about it. Most importantly, share it. Just like memories, books can be beautiful moments when we remember how precious our lives and the people in them truly are.

Dedicated to my 18 year old ( sad face!) little brother, Hunter Pickle. I love you Bubba, I hope your birthday was wonderful. And, the daffodils this year were beautiful! :)