Spring.

I checked out the scene in the backyard while the dog did her thing and was shocked from my apathy by a sprout of green! I see spring! The Search for Signs of Spring 2016 has begun!   This annual event was started by my mom many years ago.

“Girls! Look! I see green! I see signs of spring! Do you see the buds on that tree over there?”  My mother’s excitement at signs of spring was understandable considering we lived in central Ohio. After long months of bitter cold, early spring would find us in the woods behind our house searching for green. Car rides were thrilling as we searched for buds and blooms. As the trees sprouted buds our excitement began to blossom.  We were witness to the daffodils peeking out of the ground. We were in tune with what was happening around us and we took the opportunity to celebrate the new together.

This year I am seeing spring pop up in new places. I see it in me. Spring comes to the earth but spring also happens in us. It happens in individuals and in relationships. I need to stop and pause and look for new in my life. Is there spring happening in my heart? Have I stopped to notice it? To celebrate it? To cultivate it? What are the shoots of green pushing through the hesitancy in my heart? Perhaps it is a bloom of bravery or a plant that has fragrant blossoms of patience.

What are the signs of spring in your own life? What is budding within you? Pause and listen for stirrings within, stop to look for new shoots of green breaking through the doubt. They are there as spring always comes. I believe that new can come to each of us. I believe that we are each capable of new growth, of nourishing new shoots of vibrant green. Take a moment and celebrate the spring within you!

I feel like throwing a party replete with tulips, daffodils and forsythia. I want to invite my friends over for tea to celebrate that spring happens within us and not just around us. Celebrate the signs of spring you see in your family and friends – encourage the delicate blooms, witness the beauty before you that smells like growth, dirt, sun and blossoms. If there is ever a reason for a party, this is it. Spring comes to us.