Here We Come, Spring

The signs of spring are all around us and I, for one, am ready for them. Whether winter holds us in her tight grip for months with a heavy dose of harsh temperatures and mounds of snow or not, I'm always ready for the return of warmer weather, green grass, blooming flowers and longer daylight. I am a spring person at heart.

I love all that spring represents, from Daylight Saving Time's return to the spiritual experience of Easter to the tulips that bloom in every color from white to pink to red. Spring is the time of renewal, of new possibilities, and of an optimistic view of the world. It's no wonder the season bears the name Spring, for everything springs up and forth and forward (including the clocks). 

At this time of year, I love visiting with my neighbor who has planted a wide variety of spring wildflowers over the years, thus creating a colorful cascading succession of bloom, from bloodroot to Virginia bluebells to jack-in-the-pulpits. She calls me each time another plant begins to show its colors. That prompts me to walk over for a look-see and a long conversation with her about the miracles of nature.

Now's the time to open the windows—if only for a brief while—to bring in the fresh air and let loose the old, stale, cooped-up winter air. Now's the time to clean out the cupboards and closets, wash the curtains and windows, roll up the throw rugs that collected winter salt and sand at the doorways, and begin to get out the spring skirts and dresses. Now's the time to think about gardening, hiking, camping and summer vacations. Now's the time to embrace the warmth of the sunlight as it touches your face. 

As a child, spring meant my mother would wash the kitchen curtains she'd sewn, pressing them and placing them back up in the windows to billow happily once the windows could be open for summer. Spring meant my getting a new jump rope and Mom spending after-school hours twirling one end of the rope while the other was tied to our fence so I could practice any new jump-roping tricks I'd learned from my little girlfriends at school. Spring meant getting a new dress, white gloves, hat and shoes for Easter services. It meant having an Easter lily or two in the living room. Spring meant watching and waiting for forsythia, flowering currant and lilac blossoms to spring forth so that Mom could cut sprays of them to display in antique pitchers and vases throughout our home. Spring meant the weeping willows revealing their springy yellow leaves far before anything else even dared to blossom or bloom.

Spring is clean and fresh and lovely. I gladly welcome its return this month.

What are your thoughts about spring? What are some of your favorite spring memories? What does the season mean to you?