Have you ever noticed how things appear differently when you least expect them?

 

As I was walking my dog this week, I noticed a patch of green grass trying to make its way through my yard.

 

Then, as I walked to the backyard, I saw plants doing a peek-a-boo out of the ground as if I wasn’t paying attention to what I witnessed in the front of the yard.

 

As we officially moved our clocks forward here in Alabama, I even saw tulips sprouting.

 

What is the story behind tulips and spring weather? – Search

 

Not only that, I get my annual reminder, as I can almost set the time of the month when I see the Cherry Blossom line the street.

 

Maybe it’s just me, as the cherry blossoms are everywhere.

 

I believe that because they start white and remain that way for about 30 days before turning green.

 

They are like a sore thumb, sticking out everywhere.

 

Where to See Cherry Blossoms Around the World

 

Cherry Blossom Festival – Birmingham Botanical Gardens

 

It’s that peek-a-boo of you see me now, don’t you!

 

I often wonder what it is that we don’t see until it’s right there in our faces.

 

As I await the last frost, which I know is still to come, this peek-a-boo of plants growing and the yard turning green is exciting.

 

It’s exciting to think about the wonders of time and God’s creations unfolding while we sleep.

 

I have learned not to take things for granted, as each season brings new opportunities to explore.

 

I had to chuckle to myself at the sight of the school buses picking up children, some already wearing shorts.

 

It doesn’t seem that long ago when we were under a winter weather advisory with temperatures in the single digits, and now we are in shorts.

 

At least some of you are in shorts!

 

Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, helps us celebrate on Groundhog Day each year from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, which somewhat sets the tone for us.

 

This year, during its annual Groundhog Day celebration, Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter.

 

Can you believe that, although he said six more weeks of winter abound, we never know for sure from something that has been predicting the weather since 1887?

 

Only time will tell if Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, is wrong.

 

Today, there is another word associated with peek-a-boo, as I listen to the Gospel readings for the Third Sunday of Lent.  It was “Reveal.”

 

REVEAL Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster

 

It was about the story of the Woman at the Well, where Jesus meets a Samaritan woman and offers her living water, symbolizing spiritual refreshment and eternal life.

 

John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB

 

How interesting for this Samaritan woman to get a peek-a-boo at the Messiah coming, and then to get confirmation when Jesus says, “I am he.”

 

Finally, as we missed out of an hour of sleep, I’m sure someone peeked at their alarm clock when it went off.

 

Therefore, I’ll close today’s thoughts with this quote by Neil Postman (Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business):

 

“Together, this ensemble of electronic techniques called into being a new world—a peek-a-boo world, where now this event, now that, pops into view for a moment, then vanishes again. It is a world without much coherence or sense; a world that does not ask us, indeed, does not permit us to do anything;”

 

Today, think about the various things that are amusing to you that seem like a peek-a-boo moment in your life. Just like when our parents used to play peek-a-boo with us as children, we can choose to relive those moments. What’s your peek-a-boo moment today?