How wondrously medicinal and therapeutic!!

I live in the mid-west and as most of the world knows, we have had a pretty long and rough winter.  It has been the winter that would not end!  Living in a new home, I really enjoyed the snow, at first.  Even though there were several unpaid days off, we were plowed in and unable to get out, I was ill with an upper respiratory issue, the furnace went out and we were without heat for several days, and it seemed every time we thought the dark and cold was just about to give us a break, there would be another six to eight inches in the forecast.  It was so cold at one point, my dogs would not even go out to go take care of business, nor would they use puppy pads or any other contraption I could come up with inside.  I finally had to shovel out a spot in the yard, and even then it took several attempts and quite a bit of prompting from coach Mom.

I tried to keep a positive attitude about it, knowing Spring was just around the corner...okay, maybe not this one, maybe the next corner...or the next...

Yet, those cold dark mornings and evenings out with the dogs, while waiting to get my fence approved, the long dark drives into and home from work in the ice and in less than safe conditions every single day was really starting to take its toll on me and on everyone around me.

But gradually, one day at a time, the furnace got fixed, the fence got approved and installed, and the days began to get a little longer.  Being ever hopeful about Spring really maybe, possibly, hopefully being on its way, I started making plans for a garden and the flower beds, started buying grass seed and fertilizer.

Could it possibly be?  This weekend even?  While the forecast for yesterday was cool, cloudy and oppressive, it was still showing we were going to get temperatures nearing the 60's and lots of sunshine today.  We'd all heard that before.  Well this time we really did!!  WE REALLY DID!

I got out and washed the sides of the house and the windows from all the muddy puppy paw prints, seeded the front, back and side yards of the house, swept out the patio, washed several loads of laundry, was creative in the kitchen, paid bills, balanced the checkbook, did the budget, walked one dog, got outside to the park and put in 5k in intervals, visited with friends, then came home and took the other pup out for a walk before collapsing!  What an amazing and productive day.

As I sit at my table with the doors open enjoying the sunshine and the sound of the birds singing, I am reminded how blessed I truly am.  Spring has come again and it is a new beginning, a fresh start for all of us, new buds on the trees, flowers budding, some even blooming, the grass is greening up, the birds are happily chittering away, the bikers are biking, runners are running, families are out walking together and neighbors are visiting.  What a difference a little sunshine can make.  How wondrously medicinal and therapeutic!!

My sunshine, my medicine;
My sunshine, my therapy!