Spring, Spring, beautiful Spring.

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"Spring, Spring, beautiful Spring, all the birds are on the wing. Oh my how absurd, I thought the wings were on the bird."  I'm not sure where this little diddy came from, but I know I heard it many, many years ago growing up.  As we enter into the almost Springtime I am reminded of what we have just gone through with this tough Winter, and how we are looking forward to the change that comes each year at this time.

We all have changing seasons in our life.  Some are seasons we look forward to, and others we just strap down and hang on for the ride of our life.  I like the changing seasons during the year.  Each one brings new experiences, and no matter what the previous season was like, there is always something new to go through.  We were lulled into a false sense of security this past winter when December and January came around and we had very little snow, and the temps were not as bad as was predicted.  Then came February, and as they say, all bets were off on this one.  It was one of the worst February's on record, and we are thankful that it is over.  When you go through a personal season, what are your expectations and what are you thinking prior to, or even during a seasonal period of your life?

Spring brings with it newness.  Spring brings forth new life, and those things that had lay dormant during the cold winter months now come back alive, reminding us that no matter what we may have gone through, life comes back full cycle, with little or no effort on our part.

What will your spring look like this time around?  Have you forgotten to let go of the past to let the present come into it's fullness?  No matter what the winter was like, we all look forward to spring so we can dust off the winter doldrums and take in the beauty that surrounds us.  It's kind of funny when you think about it, but there isn't much that we have to do in regards to spring.  I mean, spring comes each year whether we want it or not.  Nature does what nature does, and there isn't much we can do to alter what is going to happen.  Certainly we would like to have a spring that is a little warmer, a little brighter, but warm or bright is nothing we have control over.  The seasons that we go through in our life are the same way.  We really have no control over when the seasons start or end, and most of the time we certainly don't have a lot of control over what happens to us during these changing seasons in our life.  What we can control is how we react to certain changes.  What is our mental focus, and how do we handle the changes that will come?

I personally try to embrace the different seasons of my life.  This isn't because I like some of the things that I have to go through, but I do know there is a reason for everything, and because of that I am accepting of all the changes that are going to come.  Why do people fight change in their lives?  I'm just like everyone else in that I don't always appreciate change while I am going through it, but after I have a chance to look at things and examine them, very rarely can I disagree with the changes that have taken place.  I might not like winters, but were it not for winter, then I certainly would not appreciate the springtime as much as I do.  Were it not for the changing seasons in our lives, how could one possibly appreciate the place they are currently in?  I know that we may not always appreciate what we have to go through, but when all the dust settles, aren't you normally in a far better place then when you started?

I look at my life, as it is today, and I am ever so grateful for the seasons of the past.  Had I not gone through the changes that were thrust upon me, I never would be in the place I am at right now, being honored to do the things I do today.  My winter lasted years and years, but now that my new spring is here I hope for a season that is lasting and full of new life.  I did not always believe I would get out of my long drawn out winter.  There were days when it seemed as though I would not make it.  What I forgot to do was remember that after each season comes change, and with each new season comes growth of some kind.  I have grown during each passing season, and you will grow as well if you will accept the changes, and accept the fact that we all have to go through our personal winters to get to our beautiful springs.

Spring, Spring, beautiful Spring.  We have much to look forward to in this new season.  There are ideas and dreams inside of you that are just waiting to spring forth.  Much like the buds of the tree in your yard are just waiting to spring forth, so too are the dreams you have protected inside of you.  This is the season you have been waiting for.  It is time to bring your dreams out from their slumber and into this world for others to benefit from.  The winter is coming to an end, and spring is just waiting for you to release your desires.

Just like the days are getting longer during spring time, so too will your days get longer as you step into your spring.  Do not give thought to the years you have already lived, rather be thankful for the days you have remaining.  You will have the time you need, to do the things you need to do.  The time has come to boldly step into the next season of your life, and watch as things grow up, as life becomes new again, and how perfectly one season rolls into the next.  I am there with you and together we will usher in a new season in our lives.