I always start again in Spring

Spring time is such a time of hope and promise I can't help but get all giddy about what's coming next. The world comes into bloom all over again. Colors appear, popping up almost everywhere, even in the cracks of sidewalks. The smell of all this new growth fills the nostrils with a pouporie of goodness. Animals wake from a winter's slumber and run hither and yon across the roads. Some of them don't make it but that's the law of nature I guess. Then there are those pesky rabbits, multiplying like nobodies business almost to the point of overpopulation. I don't quite know exactly what happens to all of them. I'm guessing it's the predators though. Hawks, Falcons, Foxes and Coyotes as much as the neighbor's cat enjoy a good rabbit dinner. Some say it tastes like chicken. Flowering fruit trees and bushes make for a kaleidoscope through every window. I find it difficult to think bad thoughts in the Spring. It's my tradition to take a long walk in the park in March to collect my thoughts about where I am, what I have, what I've done so far and what I hope to do. Then I pick pussy-willows and go home to take on the day. One thing I've held on to since I can remember, every Spring, I always try to do my best.

I've tried to:
Keep my sense of humor
Raise my own kids
Treat others like I would like to be treated
Tell the truth
Be honest
Maintain a moral standard
Be thankful
Pray every day
Read the newspaper comic section every day
Keep my language clean
Not to embarrass my family name
Help others when I could
Take personal responsibility for my actions
Not to blame others
To look after the environment
Not to accept unnecessarily from the government
Pay my fair share of taxes
Just plain do the right thing
Not back down from a good argument
To learn from someone I disagree with
Maintain reasonable health
Read good books
Listen to good music
Not talk too much
Remind people of just how bad carbon monoxide poisoning can be.
Wake up early

This is, of course a not so complete list but I think you get the idea. Every Spring I am reminded that it may indeed be true that Happiness is a choice. Happy Spring you all....................Joe

Spring, rabbits and hope

In the writing of "Joe's Story: The Book of a Lifetime" it was surprising to me how my emotions would be affected by the particular season in my life about which I was writing at the time. In winter I could sense the bitter cold and the clean smell of freshly fallen snow. In the fall it was the yellows, reds and browns of the leaves as the trees went to sleep. In the summer the refreshing breeze on a hot afternoon, laying on the beach watching the waves wash ashore in a park somewhere on Lake Michigan. Spring, for many reasons brought the most intense feelings I think. Probably because it brings with it the promise of a new beginning. Dark green blades of grass poke through the crust of winter decay, Robins and other song birds herald their arrival, Crocuses, Daffodils, Hyacinths and other hardy flowers forge through the cold earth and bring living color into the sullen gray and lifeless auburn's of winter hibernation with tulips not far behind. The garden plot slowly readies itself for seeding and fertilizing. Spring brings hope. Hope for a new tomorrow. Ya just gotta love that sorta thing! And, although they can often become voracious, unwelcome pests, my favorite sign of Spring is the annual dance of the rabbits. They gather everywhere, including my garden and the middle of my neighborhood roads, making driving in the predawn hours more than a bit of an obstacle course, as it was this morning. It goes without saying what they are looking for. Rabbits just seem to have fun no matter what they do. So, I say on this day that if you feel just a little under the weather you might want to consider concocting some sort of Spring dance of your own.(RE: Snoopy in the Peanuts Comic Strip) However, I would strongly suggest you not do it in the middle of the road, or in my garden either for that matter. Have a wonderful Spring and may it stretch throughout the entire year for you..............Joe (I have shared a lot of time with three friends the past week. They are not well, two are critically ill. I ask you to help me pray for them. They could sure use some encouragement about now. Thanks!)

Wanted: A good springtime joke.

I am searching for a spring time joke to banish the winter blahs. I do not possess the wit required to make up, fabricate, adjust or remember jokes well enough to put humor into the springtime context. It takes me hours to write a simple letter, let alone come up with something to laugh at. I have to depend on those that jot down humorous stories about darn near everything. I met an old friend last Friday evening. We talked for a good half hour. Or rather, he talked for almost a half hour. I spent most of the time laughing. All I had to do was ask him how he was. He took it from there and joked about age, hair, wrinkles, forgetfulness, food, noises, other friends, the passing of time, driving, marriage, and clothes. Nothing was safe from his sense of humor. All I could do was listen. I couldn't think of anything funny to respond with. He even joked about that.

Over the weekend I went on my annual springtime search for pussy-willows. It was a huge success. Huge, fat, fluffy and proliforous pussy-willows. Probably doesn't mean much to a lot of people but to me it does. To me they represent the passage from one time of year to the next. The promise of what will come. Jokes have that same quality most of the time I think. So I ask you to send me a good springtime joke if you know one or can make one up. Just a couple of simple requirements. Clean enough so everyone can read them. Non- offensive in matters of a delicate nature. If you know a joke like that I'd love to hear it. I appreciate your help...........Joe