Spring returned

            The winter dragged on, the clean white snow and the joys of Christmas were long since gone. It had been the kind of winter that cuts through to your bones and freezes your soul. It was the type of winter that made you feel cold and achy even when you were inside your home. The skies were gray and the snow was frozen into dirty piles on the side of the road.

            Slowly the air warmed up, and though I knew it was a natural cycle, I didn’t believe it. I did not trust the warmth for I had been cold for too long. I did not want to be excited for a type of weather that would just let me down in the end. It started with a rain, I love the rain, but this rain was a liar and I did not enjoy it. The rain turned to sleet as I knew it would. But slowly the air grew warmer and warmer still. My neighbors where excited as they put away their winter clothes but I stayed vigilant. I wore my jacket on days that were too warm because I knew there were going to be nights that could chill to the bone.

            I continued to put on my coat every morning while others went to buy their shorts. They embraced the season and trusted the happiness, but I had been too cold for too long and the thought of warmth seemed foolish and greedy. I am happy to say I was proven wrong. The sun shined bright and the warm air came. Warm days in the backyard and cool evenings on the porch. These were the days I dreamed of. The days that I kept telling myself would arrive but denied them when they finally did.

            I have begun to slowly embrace the spring and the happiness it brings. The days were warm and the sun shined bright. I breathed in deeply as my soul embraced the warmth. The next day it rained. This time I knew it would be the cool and relaxing rain of spring, though I could not prove it would suddenly become sleet, I let myself relax and I enjoyed it.

            When the cold lasts too long and the warmth is so far gone, have hope and faith that spring will return.