Spring Forward
"Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like?"
"It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine."
-Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
Daylight saving time (DST): Advancing clocks to make use of the longer available daylight.
I am not much for "New Year's Resolutions"
Now, DST, on the other hand...
THIS is my season to initiate personal growth and change.
Do you feel beckoned to...
Weed?
Prune?
Purge?
Cleanse?
Launch something new?
Me too.
And so... let's!
Step 1: Cleanse
“There's not as nice as the smell of good clean earth, except the smell of fresh growing things when the rain falls on them.”
-Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
This time of year...
My herbal tea fields hold onto a great deal more than they need.
Weeds & lifeless overgrowth that remained from the previous year must be cleansed.
Now, it is time.
Time to let that go.
To make space for the new.
Jesus put it this way:
"First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly" -Matthew 7:5
As I smell:
Fresh growing things
Clean earth
I acknowledge: It's time to cleanse.
Step 2: Add Warmth & Light
"These plants and trees have gone through a hard winter.
And yet, they burst forth in spring.
All it takes is warmth and light."
It's extraordinary:
What seedlings overcome to sprout.
StreetArtUtopia tells of children "Guerrilla Gardening".
(dropping seeds into sidewalk cracks to see if flowers would grow).
"Against all odds, the seeds sprouted and grew, piercing the concrete and reaching skyward."
-Vidar, 2025
In reality, (both with seeds and with us)
Growth can occur when we receive warmth and light.
My gift to you:
That small bundle of light, gathered into herbs and fruit, wrapped and placed in your teacup.
Your gift to yourself:
That warm water poured into your teacup.
The Outcome:
You.
Warmed. Nourished.
Poised for new growth.
Step 3: Just Bloom
"And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles."
-Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
There's no wrong way to bloom!
This is the "Forward" in "Spring Forward"
For this businesswoman:
Tea-Farmer
Bloomed into...
Tour-Guide
Bloomed into...
U-pick Destination
Bloomed into...
On-Farm Gift Shop
I am learning there is deep satisfaction when I...
Just bloom.
Regardless of size + shape + color
I am certain that you, too, will find deep satisfaction when you...
Just bloom.
Dear Tea-Drinker,
My blessing to you and myself this month:
May we SPRING FORWARD, giving-in to this season of change and renewal.
And may we:
Cleanse our minds, hearts, spaces, lives of weeds and lifeless overgrowth that we need no longer hold.
Add Warmth & Light to ourselves and to one another. Acknowledging that this is the catalyst for growth.
Bloom with abandon. Just bloom. Allowing each blossom to take shape as it chooses.
As always:
Thank you
I'm honored to be your herbal tea farmer.
Be well,
Shannon