MUSINGS
                         

New Year, New Me! I say every January, only to fall short of every resolution I’ve ever set. It never seems to stick past February and then I’m always disappointed in myself. January feels like it’s in the middle of the year anyway, especially for us teachers. We are approaching the halfway mark in our school year and (silently) counting down the days until summer.

Winter is simply not the time to restart. Winter is dark and cold. This weather is made for staying inside and focusing inward. The winter weather does not feel resolution worthy - quite the opposite. It feels like the perfect time to rest and reflect.

Then...Spring! The days get longer and the warmth from the sun draws the birds back and the blossoms out. It is no surprise to me that Jesus was reborn in the spring. It is a time for all of us to be reborn, with our wisdom from a long winter’s reflection.

This is going to sound strange at first, but stay with me. As a science teacher, I find beauty in the many parallels that nature offers us. Oftentimes, like with New Year’s Resolutions, we feel we must force ourselves to do something that doesn’t feel right at the time. Nature shows us over and over again that to change, we must take a moment to rest. The caterpillar needs time in its cocoon before it can emerge as a butterfly. A flower is not a flower at first, but a seed which builds a strong foundation by sending its roots deep into the ground. We are not that different from the butterflies and flowers. We are made with the same love and beauty that God created the entire universe with. It makes sense that we should follow the flow of nature and use the Spring as a way to be reborn and set forth

our new intentions!

Brittany Hannon

​

​