Reflections on Spring

Spring Makes Me Feel...

Spring makes me feel like I belong in the world. 

Winter makes me feel like the universe is trying to shut me out, to keep me from participating. Fall makes me feel like I'm on the outside looking in, appreciating nature but distinctly separate from it. Summer makes me feel like I'm fighting for my right to be here. 

But spring makes me feel like I belong in the world. 

I need no protection from the brutal cold or the blistering heat. I walk outside and feel the air on my skin and I am home. I could sit for hours in the grass, eyes closed, feeling the gentle sun on my face, smelling the new life all around and just being.

Spring makes me feel like I belong in the world. 

Spring draws me out, entices me with its color and freshness and newness and life. It's not just tolerant of my presence; Spring wants me to be there, to be a part of everything that's happening. Spring speaks to me, calls to me, welcomes me.

Spring makes me feel like I belong in the world. 

Spring makes me privy to the sacred secrets of resurrection. It doesn't conceal the transformation unfolding in every inch of the world. There's no drama or ulterior motive behind its efforts. It lets me watch as it slowly, s-l-o-w-l-y, awakens and stretches and sighs with satisfaction. No, it doesn't LET me watch. It implores me to watch. To watch, and to bear witness.

Spring makes me feel like I belong in the world. 

As if it needs me just as much as I need it. As if my presence were an essential ingredient in this quiet miracle. As if my company were a gift. As if the space that I inhabit in this moment was carved out just for me. As if where I am is exactly where I'm meant to be. 

Spring makes me feel like I belong in the world. 

Spring makes me feel like I belong.

I belong.