Written By: Anna Giannakouros
I’ve always been amazed by the sight of a dandelion growing from a crack in the pavement, or a tree that’s bent at odd angles but found it’s way, twisting and bending, to the sunlight. Even if it grows a little crooked, it’s still strong, still beautiful. In fact, it’s incredibly beautiful and mind blowing because of the way it grew. The seed didn’t need ideal conditions. It followed it’s own inner knowing and became what it already holds inside.
There’s something so mysterious about that. A seed falls and within it, there’s a secret blueprint. A quiet program that with some light and water, unfolds. It’s not about where it lands more than what it is.
We may not realize it, but we’re just like those dandelions and trees. We carry a seed of life within us, too. The same divine life force that created the blueprint of the dandelion and the tree, created the blueprint for us, too. And just like them, even if we aren’t in the best conditions, given even a sliver of light, we will grow. We will rise. We will bloom in the most unexpected places, and often, it’s the very way we rise that makes us so breathtaking.
Life is resilient. We are resilient. We are meant to thrive, to reach, to stretch toward the light, again and again. The only thing that ever interrupts that divine program design, is the personal mind – our own thinking, our own doubts, our own forgetting.
But, it’s time to remember.
Embrace where you are and trust what’s within you. You can bloom from where you’ve been planted.
Even if you are growing from the middle of grief, or uncertainty, or challenges, from a bed, from a wheelchair, from anywhere, you can still bloom. You can still rise. You can still be the miracle that you were created to be.
Spring is here! A Time of Rebirth
I thrive in the sun and winter is hard on my body. It takes it’s toll on me physically and mentally.
Mobility, already a challenge, becomes even harder when the world is covered in ice and snow. I try to escape when I can, traveling to warmer places, but inevitably, I return to face Montreal’s brutal winters. And yet, through all of this, I have learned to trust in life’s seasons.
I’ve come to see winter as a time of stillness and purging, of releasing sadness, of surrendering to whatever emotions arise. I no longer fight it. I let it move through me, trusting that beneath the cold and darkness, my roots are growing stronger. And, they do.
Spring shows us that no matter how dark the winter, renewal always comes. Trees bud again. Birds return. Flowers bloom. And just like all of nature, something inside us starts to stir. It’s the season of rebirth and a celebration of resilience. It is proof that after every death, there is life.
Nature reflects our inner lives so beautifully and we can look at Winter/Spring as a metaphor for difficult seasons in our lives. We are never truly the same after our winters. We emerge, changed. Sometimes softer, sometimes stronger, but always transformed. And as I approach 50, I feel this truth more deeply than ever.
I have lived through the first half of my life, and I carry all the seasons within me. There were summers of joy, autumns of transition, winters of pain, and springs of renewal. I am grateful for all of them. They have shaped me into the person I am today. And as I step into another new season, I welcome spring with open arms, embracing it’s beauty and promise.
For me, spring means more than just warmer weather. It means flowers blooming in my garden, the joy of feeling the sun on my skin, and the simple pleasure of being outside without layers of winter clothing. It means possibility, renewal, and the realization that life continues, no matter how difficult the past season may have been.
Spring is an invitation: A call to step into a new version of ourselves, to shed the weight of the past, and to embrace the beauty that lies ahead. And so, I welcome it fully, knowing that just like nature, I, too, am always evolving.
Step outside. Feel the sun on your skin. If you love gardening, start planting. If you don’t, buy a single flower, place it by your window, and simply observe. Watch it soak in the sunlight. Watch it grow. That, right there, is the miracle of life unfolding before your eyes.
If you have an illness or mobility challenges, don’t let that stop you from experiencing the world around you. Nature belongs to all of us and nature is healing for the mind, body and spirit. Get a scooter if you need one. Use a walker or a cane, whatever helps you to find a way to step outside and feel life happening. Because spring isn’t just a season, it’s an invitation to live again.
Remember, you don’t need perfect circumstances to thrive. You just need to remember who you are.
A Season of Resurrection
Spring, for me, is also tied to Easter, a holiday that humbles me every year. It’s a powerful reminder of resurrection, literally and spiritually.
Jesus Christ is my ultimate role mode. I think of Him in moments of doubt and pain. His story is one of suffering, betrayal, and love beyond comprehension. He was rejected, betrayed, ridiculed, beaten, tortured and crucified, yet His message remained one of love, forgiveness, and transcendence. Even in death, He showed us that life is not bound by the physical. His resurrection is not just a moment in history, it’s a life example for all of us.
We all have our crosses to bear. We experience moments of betrayal, suffering, and loss. People hurt us. Life challenges us. Our bodies age, change, and sometimes fail us in the worst ways. We carry burdens and resentments. But this, exactly, is our opportunity for transcendence.
Jesus led us to the cross and showed us that the answer is forgiveness. The answer is love.
And if He could forgive, even after everything, then surely, we can find it in ourselves to let go of our grievances and resentments. True freedom comes when we release what binds us: the pain, the guilt, the anger, the fear, the sorrow, the grudges, the illusions of control. When we do that, we are reborn. Not just once, but again and again, with every season, with every challenge, with every lesson that life brings.
And what is left when we give all that up? A beautiful life with profound experiences filled with love, joy, peace, gratitude and happiness.
It’s a choice. And every time we choose joy over pain, it’s a miracle. It’s spring all over again and we are blooming.