By Ralphine Major

Click!  The cluster of yellow flowers were safely stored in my camera.  It seemed like only yesterday I was tramping through the beautiful Christmas Eve snowfall to capture images of the winter wonderland before it disappeared.  The colorful daffodils shown here against some leftover leaves of fall are among the first blooms of spring.

Our lives are still measured by the COVID-19 pandemic.  It has been a year since our world changed to a new normal of masks, social distancing, Zoom events, and stay-at-home guidelines.  2021 has brought with it a slow return to normalcy and even a new normal.  Vaccines are becoming available.  March Madness has returned after all tournaments were canceled at the start of the pandemic in 2020.  Some businesses are reopening; some restaurants have reopened their dining rooms; some churches now offer in-person services; and some schools are open for in-person classes as well.  Many festivals and events, however, are still offering virtual participation or postponement until 2022.

Spring brings with it new life, new hope.  After a year of COVID and lockdowns, that optimism is needed now more than ever.  Words of Faith from Psalm 9:1 (KJV): “I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works.”