Season Opener

Today I am grateful for my taste buds and the smooth coffee they are enjoying this morning. I am also grateful for especially meaningful conversations I had with two different people yesterday.

Yesterday was the first day of spring on the calendar, but typical for Minnesota, it didn't look or feel like it. Snowflakes were flying, though they didn't add up to much. Hats, gloves, and jackets were advisable.

Nonetheless, spring has arrived and we know it is only a matter of time before the weather starts acting like it, at least for a few days. That brings us hearty, but weary, upper Midwesterners some hope.

There may be plenty of snow on the ground here yet, and we are weeks from seeing real green, but we look for other signs. I took this picture on Sunday along the Mississippi River. The water is open after being pretty ice-filled for months. It's a sure sign of spring, as will be the first barge that makes it's way through the nearby lock and dam for the season.

I am reminded of my love for and appreciation of the changing seasons. I savor the telltale markers of each season as it both arrives and departs. I live gratefully, appreciating the natural world around me and my healthy senses which allow me to experience it fully.