I saw my first blooming daffodils today along the road as I drove to work and immediately I began to smile. There is something about that first rush of color, that first yellow in the midst of browns and greens, that hope in the damp despair of a fading Winter scene, that optimism in the face of mounting incredulity . . . which captures my soul and warms my trembling heart. Whatever one is thinking at the moment disappears, wherever one is looking in that instant before is lost in this 'Aha!' of wonderment, whatever one is perceiving in that millisecond of recognition is shattered by the open bloom of this strong and tender flower. Spring is asserting herself, Winter is moving away, bees are beginning to buzz and hibernation is coming to a close. The Kingdom emerges from the watery ground, Lazarus walks out of the tomb, Jairus' daughter rises from her death bed and Peter's mother-in-law stands up to serve them all, with a brilliant yellow daffodil leading the wa...