I jumped the gun again! So eager am I to welcome each new season, that I want to hurry the process along - thinking Spring has arrived, when it is just beginning its cycle of beauty! Each day I survey my little domain, watching the leaves unfurl, and marvelling at the consistency of nature. The world may be in turmoil, but life goes on - just as it always has. The continuity makes me feel that all will soon be as it should be. I really love nature's bounty. tt seems more plentiful to me, here in these mountains - than I have ever felt before. Maybe with the passage of the years, I can more fully appreciate the glory that surrounds me. And, in retirement, I have the time to absorb it. Today, we drove from Brevard to Asheville. What an inspiring drive that is! The mountains surround you and seem to encircle you with delicate loveliness and strength, at the same time. Such a feeling of peace comes over you. I wish that every one in the world could know this joy, especially in this time of so much turmoil. death and destruction that clouds the peace of so many areas of the world. Yes, I believe that Spring has finally arrived with all its pale green finery, and the fields bursting with jubliant colors. It fills my heart with the hope that all will be as it should be - a world of brotherhood, tolerance, and beauty. Despite the mess that mortals make of our world, the earth still moves in its cycles and Spring brings new birth. just as it always has, and we feel comforted. Lorraine