Perseverance

Written By Gayle Applegate

Perseverance

Every year the spring signals a time of renewal and rebirth. Without fail, Mother Earth

brings forth new life from the barren landscape and bursts into a beautiful array of new

beginnings. What appeared as dead merely slept in anticipation of the time to start

anew. That which bore the brunt of bitter winds, icy blasts, and freezing cold survived

the wintry tribulation of an oft heavy burden beneath which it lay, waiting…until the

warmth of the sun stirred to movement the tiniest of hopes. And then those seedlings

pushed forth, stretching and reaching and struggling to rise. Some required more

tending than others, but they thrived nonetheless, planting themselves firmly among

others in a world of everchanging seasons.

And they weathered the storms. And they found strength in the knowledge that they

were not alone nor forgotten, because to those who remained hopeful came the greatest

gift of all.

Perseverance.

They learned to bend in the wind and bow to the storms. They danced with the rain and

stood in the aftermath of whatever deluge sought to beat them down. Their roots went

deep, and they took nourishment from the very source of life itself: nature.

For all around us, the living world presents innumerable solutions to countless

problems and when we persist at emerging from every season of our lives, we find a life

unending in terms of endless possibilities. It is part of our nature to persevere, to live

and thrive unto each new spring, even when the coldest, darkest winter descends on the

heels of our greatest, shining moment.

Still, we wait with the knowledge that each winter passes, and we will see ourselves

emerge once more to take our place amid a new beginning.

Amen.