On Sunny Lane: Spring Has Sprung?

Sweetheart and I were coming home from the jubilee one Sunday evening when a skunk crossed the road in front of us.

I said to Sweetheart, “That is a sure sign of spring”.

A couple of days ago, we saw a man riding his motorcycle down the road. I said to Sweetheart, “If seeing a skunk crossing the road is a sign of spring, can motorcycles be far behind?”

Those are only two signs of spring that I have seen so far, and it is only the middle of March.

For example, twigs, branches and trees lying in people’s yards are indicators that spring is on its way. One day Sweetheart and I drove down the road the day after a storm. There, lying in a neighbor’s yard was a whole tree that the wind had blown down. The top of it was only inches away from the side of the house. I wouldn’t be surprised if, even now, weeks later, the owner of the house doesn’t thank God every day for his good fortune he/she had in escaping near calamity.

And then there are the migratory birds coming back to spend the summer with us and the animals emerging from their dens and holes to live life on the wild side.

There is one sign that I haven’t seen yet and that is people wearing shorts as they do their shopping in the stores and supermarkets. Or, maybe I have just missed it. I know it’s early, but that never stopped some people from doing so in other years.

One sign of spring is the last snowfall of the winter. Silly me, I put the snow shovel away a week before last week’s snow storm. I was only inviting one more snow to come our way. I got it back out so I could shovel off the porch and I’m not putting it back until June.

But spring, itself, is a sign--a sign of hope. Even though the earth appears to be dead under a blanket of snow, life begins anew from the ashes of despair. And, once our bodies have withered away, our souls will rise again in newfound beauty.

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Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com