To a young girl growing up in the Midwest, spring brought its own freshness and freedom from winter’s gray, cold days. Buds began to sprout, colors popped amidst the gray backdrop, and the weeping willow tree swayed and danced in the wind with the seasonal breeze.
Nature came alive after the darkness of winter, and so did my imagination as warmer weather and longer days led to more time to explore and play outdoors.
We are not unlike the seasons in which we live.
We encounter times of darkness, those filled with loss, loneliness and depression. Times in which life feels barren, as if we are stuck and unable to see growth or movement, as well as times of transition and change which bring grief and challenges of their own. In these seasons, there is an opportunity to find freedom, renewal and life.
Willow Lane invokes childhood memories of play, exploration and freedom, yet as adults we can often find ourselves far from them.
We become so entrenched in the day to day of life, its obligations and responsibilities that play feels foreign or like a luxury for which we no longer have time, but like me, you too long long for those warmer days in which you felt free, alive and playful.
As you begin to explore your story in this space, my hope is that you see these parts of your spirit come alive once again—that play would invite you to experience the warmth of freedom, renewal and life.