A Promise of Spring

God, I love spring.  The very first tastes of sunshine and warm weather and more grass than snow on the ground.  Every day feels like a treasure that can't be wasted.  We've spent an entire winter either indoors or encumbered by winter jackets, mittens and hats, that any moment not spent soaking in the spring like sun in short sleeves is pure gold.  Never mind that the world is full of mud (hey, if you are two years old, a world made of mud is a treasure, too!) and the trees and grass are still brown, with only a few, brave sprigs daring to poke their green heads out of the ground.  Still, a treasure.  There are geese, ducks, and cranes making their presence known by their cacophonous voices and a few rare glimpses of their majesty.
The very first days of spring make the winter worth it.  Being able to fully appreciate the sun and weather that doesn't require covering your arms, to know what the world is like without cranes, geese, green grass and sunshine, can be a gift.  If only that gift didn't last so long.