Following a dull, dismal winter filled with far too many cloudy, gloomy days, it’s so refreshing to witness the delicate and colorful flowers with their bright little heads popping through the brown, drab earth nearly everywhere we go. The promise of spring is on the horizon.

The bright yellow heads of the jonquils and daffodils (otherwise known as buttercups by many, despite the two being entirely different plants) peek at me before showing off their full glory — the glory of creation.

Wild Bradford pears bloom (as much as some detest them), covering the landscape with their dubious beauty. Driving down US-72 they remind me of imaginary popcorn trees.

Violets with their purple petals and tiny but intricate blossoms are a joy to behold. Tulips stand tall and yet many bow their heads as if they are in a state of reverent prayer.

One that will soon open is the Bleeding Hearts. How can one study that amazing yet delicate little blossom and deny the existence of God? It’s beyond my comprehension. The dogwood and the “Legend of the Dogwood Tree” follow in suit.

In our family, the one that evokes the most conversation is the forsythia. There are two large bushes in the yard in full bloom. Yellow seems to be the season of hope and promise in the spring.

Teasingly, I told my daughter just yesterday to go cut me a switch from a forsythia bush. She laughed, but in her childhood that was a very serious order as her grandmother demanded she do so — which did include a whipping. Stubborn, she still cannot bring herself to find the beauty in them.

Swinging on the porch, listening to the magical music of wind chimes and watching as birds build nests while the budding trees prepare to burst open as the grass is greening up and the sky somehow seems bluer, the sunshine warms me to the core. The coming Easter season, and all of nature, promises the renewal of the earth. There’s hope in the resurrection as the lovely blossoms testify of hope and promises.

Soon the irises, roses and other posies will open in their due time. While difficult in this climate, a few years ago my lilac bush bloomed for the first time. Sometimes I grow impatient for it to bloom again, even if it provides only one bouquet.

The fragrant aroma emanating from the delicate clusters of four tiny petals per flower in a cluster is downright intoxicating. In northern climes they thrive, often considered a pest, but oh what joy it brings to create a few bouquets each spring from the scrawny bushes.

Hope brings peace, calm and comfort to wounded souls and spirits. Hope for the pandemic to finally end, hope for peace in our world, without wars and dictators. There is hope in the future generation as many children are taught gospel principles, accountability and responsibility for their choices.

It’s been said that hope springs eternal. There is hope in our future as we individually and collectively show kindness and charity to our fellow man.

A mere smile can lift another. Always, always be kind, for we know not what another, even those close to us, might be challenged with or enduring at any given moment.

If only we could look into the heart and mind of everyone we come in contact with. Empathy would increase, along with kindness and true love for our fellowman. It would enlarge our sphere of becoming more like the great exemplar.

Hope will smile on us when we have faith in a higher power, when we look for the positive, shun the negative and learn to truly be grateful and content. Practicing gratitude is one of the best ways to appreciate what they have, understand that the things of most value cost the least — or nothing at all — and truly feel blessed and satisfied with what we have.

When we become truly grateful and practice hope, we are happier just knowing that we are so blessed with things we take for granted that so many elsewhere in our world don’t have.

We take for granted clean water, a roof over our heads, clothing, food on the table (or the drive-through), electricity, the absence of rockets, bombs, war on our turf and so much more.

Hope is the color of springtime. In my mind that is yellow — the color of sunshine — because there is sunshine in my soul. There is hope smiling brightly before us because the Son always shines even above the clouds on the greyest stormy day.