Spring is still a few weeks away, but don’t tell that to the azaleas, Japanese magnolias and camellias that are blooming throughout the Miss-Lou.

We’ll take it as an early spring and celebrate while holding our breath in hopes the temperatures don’t drop so low as to kill the pretty flowers. With that thought as a beautiful backdrop, let’s take a look at other good news from the past week.

• It’s never too late to fall in love we all learned by reading the inspiring story of Carol Bates, 76, and Jerry Beach, 80, who have found love in their sunset years after they both lost their spouses.

The couple’s love story gives us all hope that love not only can endure but that it also can bloom regardless of age.

• Four years ago, Norrette Ford was visiting the Miss-Lou from Dallas, Texas, when her miniature dachshund, Cheerio, got loose and could not be found before she had to return home to Texas.

Ford was pleasantly surprised last week, however, when she got a call that Cheerio had been found and was at Gregg Veterinary Hospital in Vidalia after Ford was identified as the dog’s owner by a microchip implanted in Cheerio.

Thanks to technology and the good folks at the Gregg Veterinary Hospital, Ford and Cheerio are back together again.

• Hundreds of people enjoyed the 30th Annual Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration held at the Natchez Convention Center Thursday through Saturday.

The event brought several authors to discuss their works and screened a couple of documentary films in addition to awarding two great Mississippians, Jack Elliott Jr. and Howard Bahr, with the Richard Wright Award for Literary Excellence for their bodies of work in the written arts.

The Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration is a jewel in the city’s annual events and this year was a shining example.

Enjoy the weather while it lasts and keep your eyes open for any silver linings. As you know, every cloud has one.