Happy Spring!

Today is the first day of spring, my favorite season. I enjoy spring, in part, because my birthday falls in April. I also enjoy it because it is one of the most dramatic and hopeful transitions, from the icy cold freeze to the warm, breezy thaw. Living in California, where winter consists of a few weeks of rain and “chilly” 40-degree temperatures, the transition is still obvious. Yesterday my husband and I went for a walk around the lake, and signs of new life were everywhere: tiny green buds peeking out from the tree branches, poppies and daffodils adding pops of color to the drab city backdrop. Pollen is abundant, its dusty presence a reminder that life continues to progress, like clockwork, a welcome predictability.

This spring is of particular significance, in that it coincides nicely with a transition of my own. As we walked around the lake, observing the new life around us, my husband and I were keenly aware of the ways our lives were beginning to change. The first day of spring coincides with our transition from the first to the second trimester. A month before we sat together in the sterile doctor’s office, witnessing our child’s heartbeat for the first time. The wonder and amazement we felt, on top of the reassurance that life was actually happening, is comparable to the wonder one experiences when spotting the first crocus emerging from its slumber. This is real. This is beautiful. This is life.