Spring is in the air

We are having rain, lots of rain. There are numerous flood watches and warnings throughout our Commonwealth of Kentucky. There are also every-so-slight evidences of spring. Our front yard Crabapple tree has the smallest green buds poking out of the bark. You have to get close to see them, but they are there. When the buds begin to appear, they push the last of the berries--those that somehow survived the winter--off the tree and onto the sidewalk. It is kinda messy but another sign that spring is close at hand. Sometimes our bad habits are like that Crabapple tree and its fruit. The fruit/habits survive our determined efforts, but then new and healthy habits push, the older ones away. Ash Wednesday is this week, and it is similar to those green buds--a sign that redemption/life has always been present, even if it didn't look like it, and First Fruits (First Fruits is the Biblical word for Easter) is coming. The other signs of spring are the beginning of basketball tournaments, and baseball has begun its spring training games. Go "Wildcats" and "Reds." Yes, spring is in the air with the promise of new life.