Spring into a New Beginning

I got sick over the weekend. Could have been the flu or the canned salmon. Whatever the cause, I was knocked out of commission for a short time. I am a firm believer that illness of the body, no matter what kind it is, is directly connected to what is going on in our minds and hearts.

When March arrived, I felt a great desire to fly off to a sunny location and relax with a coconut. Months of winter had weighed heavy on me with its many days of grey skies and damp, cold temperatures. Tangled among the late winter days were some of my own life worries about money and a possible move. Oh, how that hammock between the palms called my name. It seemed that when March finally arrived, I felt like I had been climbing the last switchback out of the Grand Canyon, the toughest leg of the hike. And waiting for me at the top was the first day of spring, only I didn't know it.

Illness, even a 24-48 hour flu, changes your perspective. I ended up having deep moments of gratitude while I was sick. I was reminded, by what seemed like a bucket of water being poured over my head, how much I had to be grateful for."Wake up!", I felt the universe telling me. It's not that I forget the things that I am grateful for, it's that sometimes I forget to say it, to feel it, to just simply give thanks. When you are sick, everything stops in your life. Someone else has to take care of whatever needs to be done.

One day you are walking around, fretting and busy, and the next you are lying flat on your back, powerless over all those things that seemed so important the day before. Alone with my pain, sour stomach and Gingerale, I was reminded of how good I really have it in my life, despite the obstacles that seem to pop up like detour signs on a highway. I mean, that's really what they are. Just detours to avoid a block, to help guide us on a different road to get us where we are going.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting a very good friend. We ate delicious soup, had great conversation and listened to our children play and laugh. On my way home I stopped at the library. A book I had ordered weeks ago was sitting on the pick-up shelf, waiting for me. The Prosperous Heart, By Julia Cameron. It was my gift of spring. Arriving in perfect harmony and timing.

Seasons are so incredible. They flow with balance, making each year a miracle. Spring is here. Take a moment to look back on this winter of your life with gratitude. Take with you the lessons you may have learned through those months of hibernation. The ice has broken. It's time for growth again. Go out and buy those seeds, the kind you can put in the ground, or the kind that you can read by the morning light. Let go of whatever you feel you must let go of. Lift your head and turn your face toward the warmth of spring.

Although our culture invites us to dwell on negativity, there is an alternative that we can encourage in ourselves. That alternative is the prosperous heart. The prosperous heart recognizes that prosperity is a spiritual bottom line, not a fiscal one. Our faith, not our cash flow, is what brings to our lives comfort and ease.

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Julie Cameron

By Patricia Mabel from Maple Falls, WA