On that first warm day of spring, after months spent huddled in parkas, bravely struggling against the fierce arctic winds off of Lake Michigan and tromping through the gray slush that passes for snow, your spirits can’t help but be lifted. It is nature’s version of a hot cup of coffee after a long sleepless night with a screaming baby.

In the eventual burst of leaves and bloom of flowers, nature makes an apology no one can refuse. People begin pouring out onto the streets and into the parks. You see neighbors again who as it turns out didn’t move away, they just stayed huddled inside to escape the 20-inch snowstorm for the past four months. Restaurants expand out onto the sidewalks, flip-flops become acceptable footwear again and Miko’s ice opens for business.

It is a time of new hope and excited anticipation. A time that we appreciate all the more because of the harsh winter we endured. Spring is my favorite season of the year for this exact reason. It reminds me that even though there are seasons of darkness in life, there are also seasons of light. And maybe we appreciate the warmth even more for having survived another long winter. No one is promised an easy life. And if hardships can't be avoided, then we pray for the strength to make it through the difficult times. Spring is a reminder that we all have this strength in us.

Spring is the light at the end of the tunnel, or a very long winter, and I think it should be celebrated. While we don't dance around a maypole anymore, here are a few of my favorite ways to welcome the arrival of spring in Chicago: