Oso Berries and Not Giving Up

Ada Limón's poem, Instructions on Not Giving Up, ends with the following words:

"Patient, plodding, a green skin growing over whatever winter did to us, a return to the strange idea of continuous living despite the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. Fine then,I’ll take it, the tree seems to say, a new slick leaf unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I’ll take it all."

These lines always remind me of the oso berry plant (Oemleria cerasiformis). Oso berries are the first to unfurl their leaves in the forrest behind my house. They're even quicker than my beloved salmonberry! When the sun comes out on an early spring day, young oso berry leaves light up the forest's shadows like neon twinkle lights.

I'm always amazed by the faith that plants have. They know the warmth will come back long before it actually does. They believe the light will return, and they prepare for it. And, as Ada Limón notes in her poem, they teach us how not to give up.The days feel awfully cold and dark in every way this week——physically, emotionally, spiritually.It's easy to give up on the idea that warmth and light will ever return.

But, the oso berries are waking up. They're showing us how to stubbornly believe spring is coming and how to aid in spring's coming by opening our hands to the light.This week, inspired by this beautiful, hopeful, tenacious plant I'm looking for places to believe goodness still exists in the world. And I'm looking for ways I can aid that goodness in coming by opening my hand to the light.

How is your heart doing this week? Where are you finding love and support? Where are you turning for inspiration to keep you from giving up? As always, I'm here in solidarity and want to hear from you!