From the editor...
Alive
There is something about a spring morning that is truly special! The sun wakes up smiling, birds sing in perfect pitch and when your feet hit the floor you move on purpose, decidedly and determined, that it is going to be a very good day.
This feeling of renewed energy is not by accident as this is the season when everything that has been dormant over the long winter months suddenly comes alive.
In so many ways, this cycle or changing of seasons is not unlike the changes we all experience over the course of our lifetimes. We spend periods of growing and harvesting and ultimately a period of dormancy takes place; whether we desire it or not. The challenge with most of us however, is that we fail to see the value in change and how much can be gained if we work in harmony with those changes rather than fighting against what is, after all, a natural cycle that all living things must go through.
I am always a little blue at the end of the gardening season as I know that everything will become dark and gloomy and the truth is, if it were left to me, spring and summer would last forever. During this time of the year, I head into my garden to clean up the remnants of the cold winter months and the excitement and anticipation of the blooms, that are already making themselves known, is unlike anything I could ever imagine. The funny thing though is without the period of the dark and gloomy days of winter, the impact of the joy I experience each spring would never be a part of my life’s experience.
The truth is we cannot experience the joy of the harvest without the rainy days and the planting of seeds. And we cannot experience the beauty of a mature, budding tree, without many seasons of it having survived the harsh and cold nights of winter. No one comes to this earth already done. It takes years of falling down and getting up, sleeping and emerging and then one day this amazing person is staring back at you in the mirror, willing and able to live.
It has been my observation that most of the people we admire for their strength and accomplishment, did not reach that point in their lives without struggle. Struggle and surviving the struggle is what makes being alive such a beautiful thing.
You and I are alive and everything around us says so. And at the end of the day, this is God’s gift to us. Our gift in return should be to live; despite the challenges or sometimes rainy days. A good friend of mine once said, “any day that you are above ground is a good day”!
So, what are you waiting for? The sun is shining, the birds have already given you your wake-up call and that alone is reason enough to celebrate. You have a life to live and things to accomplish and it is all because you are present and alive!
Deigratia,
Bonnie
