I don't think anyone should be surprised that the Easter season occurs during spring. Let's face it. The holiday is about forgiveness and rebirth, regardless of which denomination you belong to or service you attend.

Religious elements aside for a moment, however, there is something each of us should take from this time of year - the chance to forge a new direction.

Flowers start to bloom from the soggy ground. At my house we even have a few crocus that started pushing through the remains of the last snowfall a week ago. Each morning when I hustle the kids into the car, it's nice to see those persistent little flowers smiling back at me as an assurance that regardless of the weather today, warmer skies are not far behind.

We also have a family of wild turkeys that have decided to claim my woods as their permanent address. They have started coming around again and I know that there will be more of them by mid-June after the baby turkeys are born.

This might be one of the last times I think about turkey until Thanksgiving, but those toms will bring my son and daughter hours of entertainment during the summer, pecking at the ground, making noise and chasing our timid cat.

You even see the opportunity to forge a new direction on the nightly news when the sports reporters talk about spring training baseball.

Yes, friends. Even our beloved Pittsburgh Pirates feel the change in attitude every March, when they travel a thousand miles south for three or four weeks to get ready for what will likely be a very long baseball season. Don't tell that to them, however. They see this as a chance to create a new direction for the club.

Maybe it's easy to write a "soft" column this time of year, especially with all of the negatives around us, such as rising gas prices, a war that seems as if it won't end and more jobs lost due to corporate greed. But that's the beauty of spring and this season. Regardless of where we are in our life, spring beckons us to take another step forward before throwing in the towel. The season challenges us to maybe push a little harder toward achieving our goals, whether they are financial, personal or family-oriented.

I think that spring, and Easter in particular, is God's way of saying, "We made it through another long, tough winter together. Now let's enjoy some sunshine, blue skies, baseball games, barbecues and vacations."

What a great reward for showing a little patience and putting up with the cruelties that winter has to offer.

Like all of you, I have my challenges as well. But this year promises to be different. Unlike other Easter holidays, I am going to begin changing my attitude about living and my philosophy about people.

Instead of cursing the weather when it rains, maybe I will join my son by jumping in mud puddles. I also need to realize that most people are good, not bad. In fact, maybe I'm the one with the problem, not them.

Rather than wonder how my old friends from high school and college are doing, this summer I promise to invite them up for a picnic or go to Lake Arthur. In the past, I let my own shortcomings get in the way, but not this year.

May each of you have a blessed Easter. Make it the most memorable ever by making it a season of change, optimism and hopefulness.