We Have to Go Through Winter to Experience Spring

Today is the first day of spring. It also happens to be my birthday. Spring usually begins on March 20 and I’ve always joked that my birthday is the last day of winter, which is not as cute of an occasion. But this year, the two coincide, which is a rarity. In fact, the last time this happened was 2020 — and the last time before that? 1896!

If you’ve been around me, either on the Internet or in real life, you know I’m big on seasons. I think there is something so magical and special about the changing of the seasons, whether it’s from summer to fall or winter to spring. And between the four, spring is by far my favorite season and transition to witness. You can’t deny how life-giving it is to see colorful blooms emerge from the dirt, the sun beat down, the trees sprout leaves, and the temperatures start to rise.

Inversely, I do not like winter whatsoever. I know there are many who appreciate the coziness, the snow, and all the comforts of winter, like soup, hot drinks, and warm blankets. I, however, could do without all of the above. Or I guess a better way to say it is: I tolerate the more negative things, like cloudy, rainy days and do my best to embrace the cozier elements, as more of a survival mechanism.

And yet, I have to acknowledge the reality that my appreciation for spring is amplified by those exact things. The fact that I come to life during the spring is because I am so desperate for warmth, light and new life, after enduring cold, darkness and death. Nashville has four distinct seasons, so we truly get a full, diverse experience when it comes to climate, with a pleasant fall, a decently cold winter, a stunning spring, and a hot summer. If you’ve lived in an area with a never-ending summer, the start of spring may be less of a momentous occasion. But here, there is a deep longing for longer, warmer, sunnier days.

This cycle from death to life doesn’t just apply to the transition from winter to spring. It’s also evident in so many things in nature, like how plants must go dormant in the fall and the winter. They may look “dead” to the onlooker, but there is so much going on during this process. In fact, this step is crucial for them to survive the colder temperatures and start afresh in the spring with new growth. Because of this, one of the best times to plant a tree or plant is actually in the early fall, because it forces the roots to grow stronger and extend deeper into the soil, which then allows the plant to withstand the harshness of both the cold winter and hot summer.

Plus, we as humans go through our own cycle of dormancy in the 24-hour rhythm of sleeping at night. Our short-lived period of dormancy is required to give us energy to get through the day. Similarly, many animals hibernate during the winter, to conserve energy while access to food is limited.

English poet and writer Anne Bradstreet said it best: “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."

Isn’t this reality true on so many levels? Not just for how we experience seasons of weather, but how we experience seasons of life.

Brandon and I are currently in a life season of spring, as we are watching new life begin with this pregnancy. And we appreciate this gift that much more after having endured the bleak, dark winter days of infertility. Of course I would be overjoyed to be pregnant no matter what, but I don’t know if I would have as much joy about this pregnancy if we didn’t go through the waiting, loss and disappointment preceding it.

Unpopular opinion: Ecclesiastes is my favorite book of the Bible, for many reasons. For one, King Solomon does an excellent job of leaving space for both joy and grief, lightness and darkness, life and death. Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 is read and quoted often, and it certainly applies to this conversation. Every season has its place and I’m doing my best to appreciate both spring and winter.

“There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.”

What Season Are You In?

What about you? Can you remember a time in your life you’ve been extra appreciative of something because of the dark days that came before? I would love to hear your thoughts.