It's been a long and lonely winter. A cold winter. I'm from Iowa originally and I'll tell you, I'm use to some long winters but something about this one became dreary and harsh. At work we all felt it. It started as exasperated hallway chatter. "When will this winter ever end?!" Then slowly, as day after discouraging day passed, we all grew quiet. Dull.

Any midwesterner will tell you that spring always arrives. Because it's followed by a long hot summer. The corn grows and the days are long. But sometimes, in the long stretch of winter a small of voice doubt creeps in. 'Maybe it will never come.'

Then last week, Tuesday, a warm day. We watched each other but no one dared say, is this it? Has spring come? Wednesday was nice too. I sat outside and let the sun shine on my face and it was a warm sun. Early March is volatile though. Blessing you with warm days and then diving back down into the 20s and 30s. Believe me I know. My birthday isn't for 2 more weeks and I got my driver's license during a blizzard!

On Wednesday the warm seemed to be holding and as I turned the corner around the front of my car I saw something positively miraculous.

In those two days the world was making short work of spring. Life and green was unfurling all around at breakneck speed. Oh how it lightened my heart. And that little patch of daffodils must have felt like Angelina Jolie as I took dozens of photos, knees in the mud. I don't know why this winter was so cold and barren, or maybe I do. But it's lost its heart. The world has moved on. Spring is here. Spring is here. Spring is here.