By the Way: A time of great expectations

By Sidney Nelson on May 18, 2019.

It was on the trip in downtown Montreal that I first noticed it. Above a store was a sign marked “Great Expectations.” I was very curious so I went to study the display in the window. It was clothes for maternity wear! Those words of expectation describes this time of the year.

This long weekend in May is the takeoff in so many things. Many folks will spend their time in seeding their garden with bedding plants in hopes of what may grow and develop. With a condo balcony for a garden two of my children came with flowers in pots and a tall tomato plant to celebrate my birthday.

Farmers are rolling out their seeding equipment with the expectation that it will be there to harvest and with that to market.

It is this time of the year that students are heading down the homestretch and with the hope that all will go well with their finals. After that comes vacation and with that the hope of travel and new adventures. Parents are already thinking of what to do with their vacation and they are dreaming of that they might do.

This is also the time of the long days and evenings so even in small towns there are softball and baseball games that can be played.

Then there is the relief and freedom to wear the same clothes indoors and out without having to change. Ice and snow are a thing of the past!

Since we no longer can make those long trips to see our children they come to visit us. So we live in the expectation of their coming to see us in two weeks. That is what gives us hope and life.

This time of the year is so precious to us because it is a time of hope and promise. Throughout the Christian world we celebrate the fallout of Easter which means life and growth. We live in expectation of what is to be. Enjoy the weekend.

Sidney Nelson is pastor emeritus of Unity Lutheran parish. He has served parishes in Frontier, Lethbridge, Montana and Montreal.