Today is one of those days where nature feels almost monochromatic.
Gray skies. Brown grass.
Mud. Leaf-less trees, fog, and puddles.
The occasional chipmumk quietly skurrying across a damp path.
If it were not for days like today, days like those we will experience just one month from now would not be possible.
Bright blue skies. Sun in the face.
Flowers. Songbirds.
Trees in full bloom, weighted down with flowers and new growth.
Isn’t the same true in our own lives? Seasons of doubt and fear try to drown us just before breakthrough and triumph. Sloppy messes seem to be the norm, but in reality are simply bogging us down before that moment where all becomes clear.
I love spring. I love fresh growth, bright skies, and warmth. But I also appreciate winter, for both the perspective it brings and the shift in perspective it requires. It gives us a chance to rest, to exercise patience, to look past superficial beauty and discover that one season cannot exist without the other.