Spring.... and a Ladybug

The last few days have been really beautiful here. Not only has the sun been shining but it's also been warm. Warm enough to be outside for hours with the kids. Warm enough to get Maddie out for some much needed fresh air. Spring doesn't officially arrive until March 20 here, in Canada, so we may still be in for another big snow storm, but I doubt it. The air smells fresh, new, light and airy. The driveways are filled with children out playing road hockey, tag and skipping. Neighbours are emerging from a long, cold winter stuck indoors. Our tulips are even starting to sprout in the garden!

The change of the seasons will always be bittersweet for me now. The subtle signs of new life. The brown, dead grass slowly reviving and turning to green. The sun feeling that much closer to earth as it shines to heat our skin. The musical sound of birds migrating back for the summer months....

Bittersweet.

A constant reminder that our world, the seasons, continue to change. Nature comes 'back to life' in the spring. If only it were that simple...

While I was out with the kids yesterday I had a very special visitor land on my water bottle. What a beautiful sight. What a peaceful and fulfilling feeling.