First Day of Spring

It is the first day of Spring today...and that's what I was thinking about as I rode my Yuba home from work today (it has been a long cold winter). As I approached my house the little dot of yellow in this photo literally stopped me in my tracks. It's in the front yard of my next door neighbors house.

It has been such a cold, cold winter...frigidly cold (did I mention how cold it was?). Yet this little flower, which burrowed itself down in the frozen soil for the last 6 months or so, knew just when to push itself up through the still-cold soil and reach for the sun. What's even more amazing is that it does it every year. Year after year. It reinforces my knowing that there is something much greater than our teeny little material lives at work here...it's interesting how this little flower can make me feel so puny.

My neighbors must think I'm a little nuts (this is just one of many reasons, I'm sure)...as I squatted on the sidewalk with my camera. When I looked at it closely this quote by Henry Thoreau came to mind:

"My profession is to always find God in nature."

Keep in mind this is not a photo of a flower on the edge of Walden Pond, or some other pristine local. This is a teeny plot of land (I'm guessing 10ft. by 8ft.) yet it is still able to produce flowers in an urban environment beautiful enough to make a person stop and contemplate them. A job well done. If memory serves me correctly purple flowers will follow shortly. Thank you Mother Nature, it made my day.

Anyhow, here's a closer view (click the image for a larger view if you'd like).

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