“We say that flowers return every spring, but that is a lie. It is true that the world is renewed. It is also true that that renewal comes at a price, for even if the flower grows from an ancient vine, the flowers of spring are themselves new to the world, untried and untested. The flower that wilted last year is gone. Petals once fallen are fallen forever. Flowers do not return in the spring, rather they are replaced. It is in this difference between returned and replaced that the price of renewal is paid. And as it is for spring flowers, so it is for us.” ― Daniel Abraham, The Price of Spring

By Dawn Onley

Spring is a glorious time of year. The trees blossom, the flowers bloom, the smell of freshly mowed lawn lingers in the air, children laugh and play, the days are longer, and everyone just seems nicer.

After a cold, snowy, miserable winter, we welcome spring and the vibrant hope she brings. We welcome the renewal we see all around us, and within us. There is no question, change is in the air. No matter how deeply we try to suppress it or ignore it, we still feel it. If we sit in silence and listen, we can hear it. We can even taste it; it tastes like fear and freedom, angst and anticipation. Its nectar is undeniably sweet, with the salt of exhilaration.

Spring is about rebirth. The birds, refreshed and reinvigorated, sing a new song.

The prayers we uttered in those dreary winter months, the storms we weathered, the faith we proclaimed, the seeds we planted are all about to unfold. Dreams will come true right before our eyes. Writer Henry Rollins said, “in winter, I plot and plan. In spring, I move.”

During this season, we will be tested to see if our faith matches our resolve, or whether it’s just a word we espouse on Sunday morning but lose trust and hope in by Monday. Faith is the belief in the unknown, without an iota of proof, and it simply cannot work without the power that we give it.

“The spring wakes us, nurtures us and revitalizes us. How often does your spring come? If you are a prisoner of the calendar, it comes once a year. If you are creating authentic power, it comes frequently, or very frequently,” said Gary Zukav, author and spiritual teacher.

Spring is here. It is beckoning us to open our hearts and minds to new ways of thinking and new ways of being. It is quietly praying that we trust the way and the way maker. It is rooting for us as we begin the process of unfolding our beauty and strength, by opening up the buds that reside within us. By living our truth.

Spring is here now and it’s beckoning us.