Spring's New Beginning

My husband and I decided to take an overnight hike to celebrate Valentine's Day this year. We walked mile after mile under the watchful eye of tall, straight pines and gnarled old grandfather oaks. On we went through the wetlands with their knobby-kneed cypress trees standing quiet and mysterious. It was filled with a solitude that can only be found in a place like that and often the only sound heard was the steady crunching of dead leaves under our boots.

As I walked along, I began to notice tiny little buds beginning to sprout on many of the trees. Springtime is coming, a time for new beginnings. Last year was filled with many challenges and hardships. February marks the one year anniversary of my uncle's death. He was the first in a string of family deaths that we faced last year. Each one harder to face than the one before. Follow that up with an extended illness for myself and a list of other challenges, and I was finding it harder and harder to keep picking myself up off the ground.

My thoughts turned back to the springtime growth. There, amidst all of the dead barrenness of winter, fresh life had begun anew. Looking back over the last year, I can honestly say that though my sorrows were many, my blessings outweighed them all. God and my family have faithfully stood with me through it all. I wish I could say that I left all of my trouble and sadness somewhere in the middle of that vast, quiet wood. I didn't, but I did bring some extra things back out with me. For somewhere in the freshness of the springtime buds I found greater wisdom, renewed confidence, and a resolute hope that with springtime's new beginning will come many treasured moments, whether happy or sad. I considered not sharing this post. In the end, I decided to only because I know so many more of you who have faced your own hardships recently. I hope that my thoughts bring you peace and hope.