SPRING IS LIKE A PERHAPS HAND...

Oh spring! You arrive when we are most vulnerable, afraid even to open our arms to you because we still instinctively protect ourselves against the cold of winter. The rays of light that you so boldly cast our direction are both a painful reminder of light's absence on our eyes, and a welcome source of warmth upon our frozen faces.

As we celebrate the Vernal Equinox this lovely day we are left with the reminders of a brief but harsh winter that's bitter assault on our bodies and minds has left us begging for a sign of change. Piles of salt lay like huge anthills on the roads, shovels still occupy their rightful posts by the front door, and jackets whose arms are stuffed with scarves and pockets bursting with gloves hang still warm on the railings ready to go at a moment's notice.

Like any sensible person, I rationalize the urge to pack away my comfy ski boots by convincing myself that March is almost over and I will have no need to treck once more over a messy mix of sleet and snow to fetch the mail or de-ice the car. However, with winter so close in my memory, I have not yet let down my guard enough to be convinced that the sun is here to stay.

Emily Dickinson wrote "A light exists in spring not present on the year at any other period." Perhaps it is because it is a light that by definition is hope, is optimism. These cold hands will warm. That window will remain open so that the breeze can pass gently over my face. The seemingly endless darkness of winter will become a distant memory.

Spring is not only birth but rebirth. We find ourselves stepping outside into the warmth, leaving the hibernation of the last season behind. I welcome the change of spring; it brings life to the very soul of me.

Happy Vernal Equinox!