We all need room to grow, space where we can be ourselves, and find our way. Our lives are in a continuous flux of change from the cradle to the grave, and then beyond into eternity. It is no wonder we often suffer ‘growing pains’, because we must always make allowances and adjustments for something new. When we fight change, it is all that much harder. It is far better to give ourselves that breathing room to adapt and refocus, not on someone else’s terms, but on our own.
I love this quote by Mary Davis: “Keep your soul rooted in gratitude, and your branches open to blessings.” In such a concise use of language, there is so much wisdom here. Open your heart and your life to the blessings God so graciously wants to shower on you, his beloved child. And keep your soul planted in his mercy and love; thank him for the abundant gifts he delivers day in and day out, without end.
,In the deep of winter, with the trees bare, we could surmise that these cold, often gray-cast days, are symbolic of barren times. But, when we step outdoors, the winter garden is alive with birdsong, and the squirrels are merry in those ‘barren’ boughs of winter. Sometimes, even when there seems to be a time of dormancy, much is still going on. We do not always see the growth that occurs in the quiet times, and yet surely we see in Spring that so much has changed. Beneath that frozen earth, all is being made ready for blooms of untold beauty.
Oddly, in the midst of winter, the earth seemingly silent, we suddenly find ourselves in a ‘quiet space’. We find time to read and reflect; we even find time to laugh and love, cherish, and let go of some of the things that hold us back.
In the winter landscape of our lives, we find a place to grow, and deep in our souls there is that stirring; a cocoon that waits, knowing something else is coming soon. And for now, there is the birdsong singing sweetly into winter-weary hearts, a love song without end.
