Springing Forward

Although we have another month to go before Spring is official, I believe February is the time of year when most of us breathe a sigh of relief that warmer weather and all it brings will become a reality in the not-too-distant future. And, too, it is the time that we “spring forward” with our clocks. Just the idea of springing forward brings a smile to my face. What will I bring forward? What will you bring forward?

If you are like me, the coming of Spring signifies possibilities and new beginnings, which become apparent when we look around us. It’s there when we see a flower peek its head through the snow to bask in the sunshine and show off its magnificent cloak of beauty. It’s there when we hear baby birds chirp loudly, demanding food from their parents. It’s there when we taste it with the season’s newly harvested fresh greens, herbs, and other things. Without being consciously aware of it, those things instill a rebirth of the spirit in us—and we spring forward with new energy and ideas.

I chuckle when I realize any New Year’s resolutions I made often need to be renewed in February … a perfect time to do it. And I know that I’m not alone. There’s something about being in the doldrums of winter that saps the intensity of our desire to change or edit what we are doing or thinking. So February offers itself as a new beginning for us to spring forward.

If I expand my idea of a new beginning for myself to include a fresh start for all of us, I need to lean on the belief that by combining our spiritual energies, we have the power to change the world.

Who of us wouldn’t want to be able to feed the starving children and adults around the world digging for scraps to eat? Or protect those people hunting for a safe place amid bombs dropping and destroying buildings and killing people? Or young girls beaten and denied the freedom to attend schools to become their own person? Or people of all ages and colors who get bullied and cannot cope, looking to escape through death? And what about the daily unkindnesses and disrespect we allow to happen among us? And what do we do about the abuse of drugs that is killing so many young people? And so much more?

Is all that happening because we don’t care, or do we not know what to do about it? When I become overwhelmed with wanting to change those things that hurt others and feel powerless to do anything about it, I have to look at what I know to be true—the love energy heals all.

If each time we see or hear of abuse of any kind, we send love and healing to the people involved and into the energy that connects us all, it makes a difference—it is more powerful than you can imagine. Think of the multiplier effect used in economics, where an increase in spending produces an increase in national income and consumption greater than the initial amount spent. Now, look at the multiplier effect using the love energy based on the principle that high levels of love can have spillover effects on individuals. What you say to one can have multiple results. How great is that?

For me, the idea of springing forward has to include opening my mind and awareness of what’s happening around me so that I can do a better job of sending love forward to where it is needed. What does springing forward mean to you?