"Thank you, God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love it enough."

The title above is a quote from Garrison Keillor, and it's no secret that I regard him highly, because he thinks things like that and then says them.

I have spent a lot of time thinking and writing about gratitude because I don't think there's enough of it going around. I include myself on any list of people who ought to be doggone grateful for what they have.

But I'll tell you one thing that we all had and can never have again, and that is yesterday. Saturday, April 3, 2010 will never occur again, no matter how we wish and hope. We only have one chance to make a good day out of a day.

You may or may not be Christian, but I think that all members of all faiths can take hope in the resurrection spirit that comes with Eastertime. After a long deep wet winter, the grass is greener than ever, the blossoms are blossoming, the birds are singing show tunes beginning with a breakfast recital at 5 AM, the convertible tops are coming down and the shorts and t-shirts are out in full force everywhere you look.

I am not a huge fan of spring, leading, as it does, to the heat and humidity of summer here in the Drain Forest, but I can look at the buds on the maples and oaks and know that they will be pretty gold and yellow leaves in a few months.

So many good things happen in spring. Young people fall in love. Old people fall in love. Love falls in with people old and young. Baseball returns. Opening Day is this week.

I have a feeling this is going to be a good year. Will you join me in that? I'm grateful for your company. Meanwhile, let's enjoy every day together.