Signs of Spring

This winter has been tough because it's often been too cold to spend time outside, especially with little kids.  Saint Paul schools haven't had one snow day, yet have had five "cold days."  Five.  Those were all days where the wind chills were at least -45 degrees.  Even Chris headed home early from a ski trip to the North Shore because it was too cold, and honestly, very little keeps him off the slopes.  So yes, it's been cold.  And we still have a lot of winter ahead of us. 

Just when I'm about to succumb to the feeling that it will be winter forever, someone told me that the sun is setting nearly an hour later than it did on the longest day of the year, when it was completely dark when I arrived home from work at 5:00 p.m.  An hour, that's huge.  That's the difference between leaving for work and arriving home again in the dark.  That's hope.  That's a sign of spring.  The days may still be bitter cold, but they're at least less dark.