It’s the first day of spring, and here in the DFW metroplex and I can hear the birds outside my window chirping, the sun is shinning and there is not a cloud in my big, blue Texas sky. It is exactly how the first day of spring should be. Here, in my state, where I currently live.

But I have friends in the northeastern parts of the country that are currently experiencing up to eight inches of snow and frigid temperatures while those in the south are hunkering down for tornadoes.

Yep, it’s springtime, same season but different weather and elements for each part of the United States.

This bipolar weather reminds me of my dining room table. No, my table is not bipolar. It’s very stable (see what I did there) it doesn’t change in its structure or how it looks. What does change is what is on top of it based on the season we are in. I love to decorate so each fall, Christmas, winter, spring, and summer, the décor and the elements on the table changes, but the table itself remains the sturdy, family gathering, meal eating, party hosting table that it has always been. It doesn’t matter how it’s decorated for each season, it’s still our table. It still serves its purpose.

Spring is a season, marked by a date on the calendar just like the first day of summer, fall and winter. And while the calendar will tell us what season we are in, it can’t control how we experience that season, again the eight inches of snow for my friends in the northeast.

I’ve experienced different seasons in life and I used to think that being in a “winter” season emotionally, physically or mentally meant that I was cold and dead and in hibernation. But have you truly experienced winter? Yes, the temperature is frigid but it’s also invigorating. Have you been outside when the snow has just fallen and the moon is full? It reflects off the blanket of white and gives an ethereal glow to everything, making the ugliest parts of the landscape appear beautiful and peaceful. Spring is often referred to as a new and fresh beginning, things are blooming, the dark grey limbs of the trees burst forth with signs of life, but spring can also be tumultuous with unpredictable weather, lots of rain, snow, storms and wind. Summer is hot, and in some places dry and parched, but summer also brings with it a sense of relaxation and longer days, an idea of fun and being carefree, a lightheartedness that evokes feelings of childhood.

Fall, my personal favorite, can be a season bursting with colors with cooler temperatures and a sense of coziness and family as well as all things pumpkin spice, but it can also be as unpredictable as spring. One moment it looks like a Pottery Barn magazine cover, the next everything is dead and shriveled up. Gone over night, short-lived.

I can’t control the weather, I can’t predict how each season is going to look, but I do know, without a doubt, the calendar will continue to countdown and the seasons will shift once again. I also know that my seasons in my life will be different from yours. You may experience the cold dark and dreary winter season while my winter may be invigorating and peaceful. Your spring may be full of fresh new life and new beginnings, while mine is full of snow and tornadoes and unpredictability.

Our seasons will change, the experiences and how they “decorate” us will be different, but just like my dining room table, our purpose in life doesn’t change when our seasons give way to one another

So, as we head into a new calendar season I want to encourage you to be aware of your season, whatever it might be. Don’t compare your winter, spring, summer or fall to that of someone else for when you do, you will miss out on your season and perhaps miss out on the lesson that you need to learn. So here’s to you… my dining room table friends, be sturdy, serve your purpose, even if your “décor” changes, you are still you. You are still Stunningly Strong.

XO Gena