Grief & healing: For me, February signals spring

I have always considered February to be a winter month and, when growing up in northern Minnesota, it certainly was.

Winters were longer and colder in those years. No rain, no thawing — only freezing weather until late March or early April.

Now winters there are a bit milder and shorter but February is still part of winter. And I recently heard that it was minus 24 degrees real temp in my hometown.

We had some below zero days here, too, in January. And it’s been below 32 degrees most days.

So even here in Illinois, February is still winter to me. We recently got a fresh inch of snow, so all was white! There are still some patches on the ground.

My husband Baheej had his own perspective on the world about him, including the weather.

To Baheej, February was the start of spring. New buds on the silver maples outside our living room window were his proof!

He was tuned into nature. He had learned to respect and manage the cold. And how to dress for it. But he was always on the lookout for spring. He saw the silver maple buds as the first indication spring was here. Well, for one, I’m ready for spring although I realize we may still be in store for more snow and more cold weather.

The point is: Spring can’t be that far away. And Baheej is whispering in my ear that it’s coming soon. And the buds have definitely appeared!

• Susan Anderson-Khleif of Sleepy Hollow has a doctorate in family sociology from Harvard, taught at Wellesley College and is a retired Motorola executive. Contact her at sakhleif@aol.com.