The Light Returns

This week brought the spring equinox; daylight stays longer as winter passes, reminding us that darkness does not last forever. Many find this reminder comforting.

I have been speaking with the Buddhist Community the last few weeks about impermanence. Many people discuss impermanence in a negative way; it can be hurtful to think that everything is temporary. Undoubtedly, it can be difficult to think that nothing lasts forever. Yet, impermanence also reminds us that struggles, pain, many forms of sickness, and grief are not immune to the passing of time. Darkness eventually gives way to light. 

Writer Margaret Renkl recently posted a picture of Virginia bluebells on her Instagram account. Bluebells are my favorite flower. The brilliance of their color unapologetically glimmered in Renkl’s photo, and I smiled remembering how so much beauty comes back to life after a long winter’s nap. I thought of my own life, of my own seasons of illness, heartbreak, and loss. Each trying time ran its course, and the flower of living always blossomed again. My spiritual practice of prayer, meditation, and chanting has been my gentle companion through each trying era of my life, and I hope that you, dear reader, also have a practice, faith, or some other sacred support system that sustains you in moments of winter. May you have something or someone who reminds you that light returns.

As the days appear longer, as warmth envelopes our community of learners and dreamers, may we all take note that nature nudges us to remember the miracle of bluebells blooming after so much darkness and cold.  What a gift it is to witness the return of life. May we be present in this miracle.