“There are two men inside the artist, the poet and the craftsman.  One is born a poet.  One becomes a craftsman.”

– Emile Zola

Spring is springing to life; and as it does, my body and mind follow suit.  The dormant season of winter is over.  Like a great bear who has hibernated in her warm cave, hiding from the cold, silent winter days, I now awaken and step outside to the delicious mud of April.  My mind returns to thoughts of the days when my children were born.  Then I was the cave that held them close and tight and safe, insulating them from the world that lay beyond until they were ready to spring to life and begin to become who they were created to be.  Each year at this time I feel that sense of rebirth that calls me to flex my muscles, stand tall, and call the potential of winter to action.

The season of contemplative days fills us with knowing.  It is then that we can turn inward and see our potential without the distractions of the world outside.  Just as a baby lies in the womb, growing, changing, and taking shape, our winter selves have the opportunity to spend some time with the person we were created to be — our potential — until Spring calls us to express our identity and become tangibly who we already know we are.

We are born poets, or artists, or bringers of light many different ways that will impact our world.  We learn to know the Truth about our existence during the quiet days, but knowing is only the beginning of being.  We must flex our muscles, flex our minds, flex our spirits and allow ourselves to grow during each cycle of the seasons.  Our potential is the Creator’s gift to each of us.  Our craftsmanship is our gift to the world.  Each of us is created deliberately, and our contribution is vital to the fulfillment of Creation.  In the silence of winter, we find our potential.  As the snow melts away, we spring forth once again to fulfill our dreams.  We were loved into being for a purpose.  Now is the season for becoming who we already know we are.