By Donna Letier
Every year as the first day of spring approaches, I find myself doing something simple.
I pause.
Not because I have extra time to pause — most days I don’t — but because this season always reminds me that something meaningful is beginning again.
Spring officially arrives on March 20, and with it comes one of nature’s most reassuring reminders: there is always another chance to grow.
Another chance to plant something.
Another chance to begin again.
Another chance to see things from a different perspective.
Perspective is something I have learned a lot about in my life.
Many of you know that my daughter Jillian was born with significant disabilities. When people ask what that experience has been like, I often tell them that it has been one of the greatest teachers of perspective in my life.
At times that perspective was hard-earned. There were moments when life felt like survival.
But over time something beautiful happened.
The lens changed.
Today when someone asks me what it is like being the mom of a child with disabilities, I can honestly say we are thriving.
Jillian is one of life’s greatest teachers. She reminds me every day what resilience, joy, and determination look like.
And, as I sometimes jokingly add — we also get really good parking.
Gardens have a way of teaching us the same lesson.
When you plant something, you cannot rush the outcome.
Seeds take their time.
Weather shifts.
Growth happens quietly before we ever see it.
But when we pause long enough to notice, something remarkable appears.
A new leaf.
A stronger stem.
A plant reaching toward the light.
Gardening reminds us that growth is happening even when we cannot see it yet.
One of my favorite lines about spring comes from Robert Frost’s beautiful poem A Prayer in Spring:
“Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today.”
I love that line because it reminds us that sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply notice what is blooming right in front of us.
So as we welcome spring this week, I have a small invitation for you.
Pause.
Step outside.
Touch the soil.
Plant something — even if it is just a small herb on your patio or a plant on your desk.
Because when you grow something, you are not just growing a garden.
You are growing perspective.
And sometimes perspective is the most powerful thing we can cultivate.
Until next time, you’ll find me in the garden.
Donna