This week I met a brand new creature on our mountain. It all began when I noticed that the six dandelions on the brown hillside had disappeared. What?? Where did they go? They were the first bright flowers on the hill, the first sign of spring!
Later that day when I was driving down the dirt road not far from the missing dandelions, I saw an animal head pop up from the ditch. The head was shaped like a prairie dog, but it was much bigger and darker. It saw me, and dove back down into the ditch.
“Oh, my!” I thought. “If the prairie dogs are getting that big, I’m moving off this mountain!” I stopped my car to see if the creature would show himself again. Sure enough, his nose came up slowly and he peered all around. Little by little, he rose from the ditch. It was clearly not a prairie dog. It was as big as a wiener dog!
I took a picture of the animal then looked it up online. It was a marmot. And marmots just love to eat dandelions! Aha! This was the creature that was stealing spring! So I named him “Grinch”. The Grinch who stole spring.
All around the world, there is a Grinch that has stolen our spring and is threatening to steal summer, too. It is this sickness that is so scary that everyone has to stay inside a lot so they won’t catch it. School, sports, parties and weddings have been cancelled so people can stay home and be safe.
But did you know that God is doing something very special because of the Grinch? Because we have to stay inside, we are spending a LOT of time with our families, getting to know and love one another better! Lots and lots of people are asking questions about God and wanting to know HIM better, too. Lots and lots of churches are teaching about Jesus online where everyone can hear. Those are good things!
The Grinch eating the dandelions will not be able to completely steal spring. Many other flowers are starting to bloom now! Soon the mountain will once again be covered with plenty of color.
In the same way, the sickness we are now afraid of — this Grinch — will someday go away. But the good things we learn about God and the love we have for each other during this time will bloom and last forever. Trust God! He is doing something greater than we can imagine!
Happy hugs,
Montana Gramma