Dear Compass Checkers,

I don’t know about you, but I’m just about done with winter. Cold, drizzly rain seems to be all we’ve seen here in the Southeast for the past few months. Some of you have experienced even harsher winter conditions with record-breaking cold in some parts of the country and heavy snowfall in others.

Of course, the rain and snow provide a lot of much needed moisture for the ground, and that ground will soon be bringing forth the bright colors of spring. Green grass, blue skies and a rainbow of flower blooms. And with spring comes a rejuvenated outlook on life. The Song of Solomon contains a lovely verse in regards to this phenomenon, “For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land” (Song of Solomon 2:11-12).

A part of springtime is getting ready for the fun of summer. After missing out on last year’s camp experiences due to COVID, I bet we are all more excited than ever for summer camp. And if you’re a tad bit nervous about camp, that’s okay, we’ve all been there (see the article “First Day of Camp” in this issue).

So what does springtime have you looking forward to? Enjoying some fresh air and sunshine in a game of baseball perhaps? A nice long bike ride through the park? What about the upcoming Holy Days? In addition to a much needed spiritual refreshing, it brings all those yummy unleavened bread recipes we all love so much!

Whatever this spring finds you doing, I pray the articles in this issue of Compass Check help you enjoy it that much more!