The Hunt for Meaning

“Hope is being able to see that there is light, despite the darkness.” -Desmond Tutu

Spring is here,
daffodils & snowflakes.
Winter cannot quite
release her hold on the cold.
Magnolia blossoms, starting
to uncurl, lost in a morning frost.
Dead now, they cling to the branches
that hold them, refusing to let go.
The bright promise of life erupting,
interrupted.
And hope still springs,
resurrecting after every storm. ♡

It’s Easter weekend, and I’m looking out my window at a yard-full of brave daffodils that are enduring the return of winter storms. After an early spring, my gardens are alive with an Easter-egg array of colors, even though not all the blossoms made it through the stress of freezing nights, pelting rains, wild winds and even a few days of snow.

My mood is stormy like the weather today. I’ve had a few tiresome days of self-inflicted angst. Worry for my parents, guilt over not being with them at a time they could have used my inner calm, and a spinning mind that is making up meaning that isn’t true.

It’s a good day to hunt for deeper meaning.

Easter, for many, is a day of celebrating resurrection and the promise of eternal life. For others, Easter has become another commercialized holiday, one where children hunt for treasures and eat excess sugar.

The original meaning behind our special holy days can get lost in the clutter of commercialization & life’s daily busyness. How we choose to celebrate, or not, is what gives meaning to any given day.

We choose the meaning of our moments. We do.

It’s a choice whether to let the mind spin with made-up meanings…to follow rituals without really paying attention to any meaning at all…or to stay consciously aware of the deeper meaning by being present to the miracle of life that is being birthed in every moment.

Today, as I watch the sunlight peeking out from behind the clouds to enliven the colors as I write, I invite my heart to open to the awakening energy of spring, of Easter, of every day that is as holy as I choose it to be.

Every day is holy. YOU give the meaning.

How you show up in your moments, what you choose to notice, where you place your attention is what gives meaning to life.

Spring is a time of rebirth, a genesis of hope that is much needed. Through all the storms humanity has endured these past years, all the ways life has been interrupted by hardship, sometimes we have to hunt to find any real meaning.

It’s there, but you won’t find it until you slow way down, breathe extra deep, and peer into the heart of what is true.

Look inside: the most precious treasure is YOU.