Nothing gets my creativity flowing as a writer better than spending time in nature. In my case, suburban nature is the most accessible to me, but even so, watching the seasons change helps me feel connected to the earth, and to life really – the life that goes beyond the repetitive day-to-day. My favorite season change to watch is when winter turns into spring. I especially like to see those first signs of life breaking through the cold. This is about the time of year it happens. It’s not drastic, but subtle at first. It’s there if you look, but easily missed if you don’t. These small signs will get bigger, until the change is undeniable, but why wait so long to notice?

When I went outside this morning, it wasn’t so much to look for spring as to experience winter. Our area has been covered in icy snow for the last few weeks and it’s finally starting to melt. I guess I wanted to walk in it one last time before it disappears. Despite all the snow and ice we still have, I unexpectedly found my first signs of spring. Though the sheet of snow is still covering my backyard, in several areas, grass is growing straight through it. These new green blades are standing defiantly against the snow that surrounds their roots, and they rose above it. Despite the ground being sealed in ice, at the first opportunity, they made their way through, standing tall, healthy and proud.

This analogy of growth despite the circumstances is one of the reasons I love looking for the first signs of spring. The season where everything is dead and cold is never the end. It’s a time of getting ready, staying strong, and then taking that first opportunity to burst forth. Is there something in your life that feels frozen solid?  A circumstance that’s keeping you stuck? If you keep on growing below the surface, you will be ready to break free when the time is right. This season isn’t the end, and it’s not permanent, so don’t let it define you.

I want to encourage you not to stop or give up when things get hard. You are growing through it, even though it may not feel that way. It may not be easy or even possible to see the sun through the icy situation in your life, but it is there whether we can see it or not. Eventually it will break through, and so will you, if you keep holding on to hope.