The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

wm yt spring arrives witk optimism vweendefffifthch p 7 a quick glance through my trusty norman rockwell engagement book for mid to late march through april is enough to give a whole new meaning to the word eclectic for surely no other time of year offers such a mixed bag of sacred cele brations traditional revelry and sig nificant seasonal shifts than this it all got underway with the annual st patricks day fete a few weeks back the one day of the year when honorary irish citizenship is freely granted and eagerly accepted the first day of spring followed three days later with the past sunday one of those ecumenical stews which saw christians acknowledge palm sunday while jews attended purim carnivals this weekend will see churches everywhere filled as believers com memorate that most hallowed of christian observances good friday and easter sunday ironically just two days afterwards on tuesday the naive among us will be falling for reports of such things as bullet trains between neighboring towns as april fools day falls again then its time to push the clocks ahead for the long awaited return of daylight savings time april 22 sees the celebration of passover with members of our house hold getting to chow down two nights in a row at seders being put on by both from where i live bruce stapley sides of my wife susans family as they once again recall the freedom from slavery experienced so long ago by their ancestors its also earth day a time for the ecologically minded among us to drive home the message of the ultimate fragility of this planet with which we have been entrusted if one was to try and find a common thread to this hodge podge of solemni ty frivolity and seasonal change i suppose it would involve the realiza tion that life is indeed a mixed bag sacred tradition joyful revelry and rebirth as demonstrated by the annu al arrival of spring often combine to help offset the daily grind the longer one lives the more one comes to appreciate the need to celebrate the good while enduring the inevitable losses we are forced to suffer just last week within the span of a few days i listened to the sad tales of three brave people relating stories of the tragedy and affliction that had come their way since the last time winter turned to spring they involved the death of an infant baby a life threatening disease contracted by a mother already dealing with her daughters attempt to rebuild her life after a car accident killed her hus band and a friend who contemplated suicide mere months after suffering a- near fatal stroke in all three cases however there was an underlying optimism a willingness to look ahead to a new beginning despite the need to deal with a pain that wouldnt go away my wife and i occasionally kid our fourandahalfyearold son drew for failing to pick up on the times when we pull his leg in jest more than once weve told him with some seriousness that learning to laugh is a trait that will not only add to his enjoyment of life but will possibly contribute to its length as well i think hes catching on when i cheerily informed him of the official coming of spring last week he just looked out the window at all the snow still piled high on either side of the dri veway and smiled youre kidding right dad he said with a definite chuckle ip o cd v q x pbeex come and test drive one today and receive an exclusive michelle wrightchevy thunder cd cttevrolet eiac ih i o t a o cm ww fl t ph 3 jh 24180 19 999 ext cab short box v8 50 l 4 speed auto air con isb equipment group chrome wheels tilt cruise deep tinted glass body side mouldings amfm cassette plus more reg cab 43 l v6 200 hp 4 speed auto cloth seats chrome wheels front grill solar ray tinted windows amfm radio plus more plus a bonus on service we pay the gst on service repair during april h e v r o old m sale hours monthurs 9 am 9 pm fri 9 am 6 pm sat 9 am 6 pm 5336 highway 7 just east of mccowan 2941440 toll free 18008922209 o b 1 l e 6 cc c j 2 northpointe d r hwy7 selling price plus freight taxes ail upfront fees licence insurance extra oac leases based on 36 months 20000 km per year down payment ot 1000 and 300 350 security deposit plus freight taxes all upfront fees licence insurance extra oac one year reg value 479 fitness membership the fitness aerobics centre new member special one week only offer expires mon march 31 9054717871 190 bullock drive current expired members not eligible gst extra j