April 2010 Commentary: April showers whet springtime appetites for vitality and hope renewed

Everywhere in the northern hemisphere, spring’s return welcomes renewed vitality, growth, and hope. And for our friends south of the Equator, we wish them well through impending autumn and winter seasons until September when their spring begins anew. Higher sun in the sky, milder temperatures, and more “liquid” and less “solid” precipitation lifts spirits as well as tender shoots from the soil. Sap is running, buds are swelling, spring is on—daffodils and tulips emerging in Wisconsin; cherry blossoms blooming gloriously in our nation’s capital; bluebonnet and Indian paintbrush wildflowers adorn the southwestern desert landscape. Spring feels good.