A Promise of Spring

This morning when I woke up I was greeted by light.  Something I think I typically take for granted.  As the days get shorter and shorter in the early part of winter, I notice the darkness; but when the tides shift and the days begin getting longer and longer, it surprises me on a morning like today when I all of a sudden realize that it isn't pitch black outside when I wake up.  It all causes my heart to rejoice because it's like a ray of hope that spring is truly on its way.  And to top it all off there has actually been sunlight streaming in the window this morning (a rare commodity around here in the winter) and birds are chirping merrily outside.  There is still snow on the ground, but that really doesn't matter, because the birds know what's around the corner.