Spring is in Bloom | Recognize the Buds in your Life and Prepare for a New Beginning
/STEPHANIE FRIES
I walk outside and sense a simmering energy on the verge of explosion. You can feel it, smell it and see it. In fact, in many ways, you can even taste the anticipation.
As a resident of Japan, it is impossible to avoid the hype of cherry blossom season. The “sakura”--the five-petaled, baby pink flowers--have started to bloom! With the start of springtime comes the start of all the seasonal weather, events, festivals, and flavors. (You want sakura-flavored ice cream? Got it. Coffee? We can make that happen. Kit Kats? Done.)
PHOTOGRAPHY: CLAIRE WATSON PHOTOGRAPHY
It’s amazing to see how the Japanese culture is deeply embedded in the ever-changing seasons. Whenever the trees shift into a new phase of life, there is a new celebration for the gifts of the present moment. With anticipation and a timely response, everything shifts in unison to embrace the current season.
This responsiveness to change is a metaphor to how we can adjust to changes in our lives, in our relationships. There’s no denying that our relationships move in and out of various seasons. Of course, some circumstances arrive suddenly or even as a complete surprise. But as the bud on a tree foreshadows the coming of spring, a personal new beginning can often be anticipated as well.
To await change with a spirit of celebration is an attitude I have not-yet mastered. Made in the image of God, we are created with an intrinsic craving for infinity. Yet in our humanness, we are invited to embrace the ache of starting and stopping which magnifies this desire for the eternal.
Many circumstances of intimate relationships come with expectation: the transition from dating to engagement to marriage; the birth of a child; a military deployment or homecoming; a spike of demands at work; holidays, vacations, or time with extended family.
Recognizing the buds of change in your life enables you to prepare for a new beginning.
When spousal relationships transition into a different circumstance, it is helpful to adjust the method and means of communication. How, when, and why we communicate must flow in tandem with the ever-changing seasons of our lives. Being proactive with the effects of change can diminish the challenges of transition.
I am striving to shift my role in and purpose of my own marital communication as our lives continue to grow and change.
As we’ve begun caring for our first baby over the last few months, my communication has become more direct. I’ve had to be intentional about stating my needs--for love, help, and collaboration--in a way that is unfamiliar and, honestly, uncomfortable. But the outcome has served us well as we navigate this sacred time in our family.
As we prepare for a deployment in the coming months, we constantly discuss what kind of communication can support both our intimacy and our companionship. Phone calls, email, Facebook messenger, FaceTime, and the occasional snail mail each serve a unique purpose in how we stay in touch while we are apart for long periods of time.
The movement in-and-out of seasons will look different for every relationship. The way we anticipate, prepare for, and respond to the fluid dynamics of a relationship will also vary on an individual basis.
In the same way the Japanese look to the earliest signs of change and adjust their flavors and customs to enrich the present time, we can acknowledge dynamic change in our relationships and prepare intentional adjustments to support each new beginning.
