The Hope of Spring

No Winter lasts forever. No Spring skips its turn. ~ Hal Borland

For those who celebrate Easter, this is a glorious day. As I sit and write this (on a day I do not normally post), the birds in my yard are singing although it is not yet daylight. They know that sunrise is coming. They know the promise of a new day. I’ve stated many times that this Spring time is different for me. I feel the renew of life around me. I see it in early blooming trees and flowers. I hear it from the birds in my yard.  It has taken me many years to have this feeling again. Although Easter is cause for celebration, I feel it is important to acknowledge that there are many who struggle with this religious holiday and this time of year. For those who are hurting due to the death of a loved one or a loss of any type, the thought of renewal and hope can be painful. There is grief and sorrow and feeling happy is often an emotion that is impossible to feel. Today I want to give you permission to feel whatever it is that you need to feel during this season of your life. We are allowed to have a mixture of emotions and at times they do not run congruent with what the world expects us to feel.  As I am much more spiritual than I am religious, I do not typically go in depth from a religious perspective in this space. My relationship with God (and sometimes I simply say a Higher Power) has varied over the years. I’ve been selfish and asked why I have endured what I have endured. Why have I had the losses? Why do others have answered prayers and I do not? I know that many others ask the same questions. It would have been easy to feel there was no higher power, but I have never felt that way. Perhaps that is the foundation of a Methodist and Baptist upbringing I had as a child but I do know I’ve seen and felt the love of a higher power everyday of my life. I’ve also known it was perfectly ok to be upset/angry/hurt. I’ve had and continue to have a multitude of questions. I’ve allowed myself to feel all of those emotions. I will share that even in my darkest days of grief, I knew that in time Spring would come again. I knew that eventually I would feel the peace and happiness of renewal. Over the past years I have been able to appreciate this rebirth but not fully. Grief takes longer than anyone wants it to. Whatever your spiritual belief system is and whatever you may be going through in your life, I want you to hold on the quote above. No Winter lasts forever. No Spring skips its turn. Hope is real.  ]]>