Yesterday it hit hard. It was almost as if someone
physically punched me in the stomach. I was making
a dinner of ham and beans, fried bread, fried potatoes,
spinach, beets and pears and I got an unbearable longing
for all things spring and summer.

I need peepers. The last two nights we've slept with
our window open because our wood-furnace has the house
up to 80 degrees. I listened to the rain fall steadily
through the night...but I need peepers. Just to hear
them for one night would be refreshing and would give me
heart enough to face the rest of winter.

I want cucumbers, onion and green pepper, fresh from
the garden and floating in a bath of vinegar, water,
sugar, salt and pepper.

I long for fresh, juicy tomatoes to slice and eat
three times a day.

I know it is somewhat of an illusion. Life is no better
when the sun is shining and the humidity is high. But,
right now, I am longing for it to come and to come quickly.

Sometimes my longing for Heaven hits me the same way. There
is a physical reaction. The heart beats faster, the head
gets light...oh, Lord Jesus, do come and do come quickly.