Winter is upon us.  It has been upon us for months now.  It is cold, and our world is a bit barren right now.  I actually experience real winter in Georgia.  This is my first experience of months of cold, of months with no leaves on the trees, and of months where few flowers thrive.

I am an outdoors person.  I thrive on being in nature, and I am ready to see some green again.  I am ready for my flowers to thrive and not just merely survive.  I need to see some color outdoors again.  I am ready for warmer weather that I can easily bring my children outside to play in without putting on layer upon layer.

Frankly, I am ready for spring.  I keep looking at the trees hoping for some sign of new life budding out. No signs of new life, yet–but I know its coming.

I am reminded that there is a time for every season.  Winter is the time for growth.  There is so much that is happening that is not visible to the naked eye, but it is happening.  The tulip, daffodils and iris bulbs I planted are marinating in the earth being nourished and fed just waiting to peek out from the ground.  All of my plants that die back in winter are using their dead plant parts to nourish and feed their roots.  It will soon be there time to bloom again.  I am ready for this.

So it is with our lives too.  We have seasons of winter that feel barren, that feel dreary, that feel cold.  We do not see the growth that is happening in the winter season of our life, but there is always so much happening.  Then suddenly, we see ourselves putting forth some small inkling of new life, and the next thing we know we are in spring.  We see the new blooms from our winter’s growth.

Are we in winter in our lives right now?  If so, what will help sustain us during this winter months?
Are we experiencing spring?  If so, can we now see and name what was invisible to the naked eye just months before?
Either way, are we stopping to be grateful for the rest and growth that winter provides?

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.