"You can never hold back spring; even though you've lost your way,the world keeps dreaming of spring. so close your eyes, open your heart,..you can never hold back spring. remember everything that spring can bring, you can never hold back spring. " You can never hold back spring, by Tom Waits

no matter how cold the winter. no matter how much snow, ice and freezing rain winter has dumped on us this year, spring is on it's way!! YEAH!!! i walked outside the other day, and it seemed to me ( well, you all know i have an active imagination) that the trees were all excited. they are excited because they are getting new clothes soon. i mean, i get really excited over new clothes so i get it. i can see just a hint of pink in the cherry trees and a smidgen of green in the weeping willows. the daffodils are starting to peek their heads out- come on out, i say. it is truly amazing, but it happens each and every year without fail.

i can not help but think about all of us who have thyroid cancer. we have been through one tough winter, but man oh man, spring is on it's way!! we all have our "setbacks" of course, and there will be more cold weather for sure. some of my flowers/bushes that seem to be over-achievers will get damaged by a late frost, but at least they are trying.

this will be my first spring after my cancer diagnosis. i still have lots of tests coming up- an ultrasound the end of this month, a full body scan in may, etc, but i still feel pretty hopeful about things. the thing is, no matter how much we cancer patients have to go through, there is hope and joy to be found all around us. you just have to look. o.k. maybe you need really strong glasses to see it, but trust me, it is there.

we are remodeling our house this year. my husband and i have talked about doing it for years. but, i think, and my husband has not really come out and said this, we are finally doing it because we realize that who knows what the future might bring. this is important to us- it will make things more comfortable for us, and provide more usable space for our family when they visit. you can not put off doing the things that you feel that you need to do. you can not put off your joy anymore than you can hold back spring. go for it- get a really bad case of spring fever, and enjoy it!