It has been a long, snowy winter here in Chautauqua County. Within the past few days, however, warmer weather has heralded the approach of nicer days. It is only a matter of time until flowers begin blooming and we can begin enjoying the out-of-doors more.

So it has always been: Cold, dark months are followed by warmth and brighter days. So it always will be.

Today we celebrate something else that, for Christians, always will be so: Easter and its fulfillment of a promise made two millennia ago.

For many Christians, two dates on the calendar stand out: Christmas, on which we celebrate a promise made in the birth of Jesus Christ, is one. Today, Easter, when we reflect on the new life into which Christ led the way — keeping the promise he made and demonstrating that for all the world to see — is the other.

In comparison to Christmas, with all its secular hustle and bustle, Easter always has been a relatively low-key time. It gives us a day to reflect maturely on what our faith really means to us. We do so in company with more than 2 billion people throughout the planet, as part of the largest faith community in the world.

Today, then, we realize that while the journey may sometimes be hard, a kind of eternal spring lies at the end of it for Christians. And that makes the day worth celebrating.

Happy Easter.