It kind of starts with a whisper of an idea that floats through our consciousness but doesn’t stay for long. These thoughts come and go, we rationalize—nothing serious. But the idea makes its way into our mind again… and again. It begins to p-u-l-l us forward. We find ourselves wanting ‘that thing’ that someone else may have, or we blurt out “I wish I had that!” or “I want to do that!” Eventually the idea takes up residence in our head. Now, there may be some clear-headed, mentally and emotionally competent people who recognize the invitation and smoothly and rationally execute the plan to ‘get that thing.’ I am not one of those people.

In fact, once the idea takes up residence in my head, I start doing all I can do to evict it. “It’s too late…,” “I’m pretty sure flowers don’t bloom in the snow…,” “That’s the craziest idea I’ve ever heard…,” “How in the world would that work?,” “That does not make sense to me…,” ” I don’t think I can do that….” Doubt, fear—make that Fear with a capital F, procrastination, denial, and ‘good sense’ take over, and it seems like the little whisper of an idea doesn’t stand a chance against the Goliath of my backtalk.

But let me tell you about the little flower that blooms in the snow. Ten days ago, I walked through the woods when it was still the season between the seasons, and I stopped in delight when I noticed the Witch hazel shrub was full of tiny yellow flower buds that were beginning to open. I knew this was the time, but I had forgotten!

The leaves were still holding on, and the tiny buds and flowers were easily overlooked.

But look at how exquisite these tiny flowers are! The genus name for Witch hazel is ‘Hamamelis’, which means ‘together with fruit.’ The flower blooms at the same time as the fruit from the previous year is maturing. How unusual.

Farther along the path, the brilliant berries of the Winterberry shrub, a deciduous Holly, could not be missed.

Then the whisper of an idea, who seems to be defeated by my Goliath backtalk, calls in the power of the source from whom the idea has come. If the p-u-l-l isn’t going to work, we’re going to need some Push! The Push usually comes in the form of (seemingly) random events or occurrences that cause pain. In other words, buckle up, we are about to navigate a rough road, because pain is the ultimate motivator.

Ten days after ‘finding’ the Witch hazel flowers, ten or more inches of snow have landed on the spidery blooms.

Although the brown leaves remain, the snow makes the flowers more ‘see-able.’ (Hmm, maybe this idea has some merit…)

These flowers are tough—covered in crystalline snow and ice and weathering cold winds, yet still retain their delicate shape and Spring-like color. The Witch hazel flowers are like the ideas that call us forward, the God-thoughts that help us become a better, more complete version of ourselves.

Not only does the whisper idea have to deal with my Goliath backtalk, but once the painful Push comes into play, it also has to reckon with my Scandinavian stoicism. Stoicism has many strengths and can literally get a person through a difficult period, but it also tends to plant our feet from moving forward and to steel our minds to a different way of thinking.

The bright Winterberry, not to be missed, is like our daily lives. It is seen, lived, acknowledged, dealt with, conscious, and present.

Another common name for Witch hazel is ‘Winterbloom.’ I think our whisper ideas are supposed to bloom in our lives; in fact, I think they are just as ‘programmed’ as the winter blooming of the Witch hazel—meant to be. But these ideas are hard to see, often forgotten, dismissed by Goliath thought patterns, and overlooked by our bright and present daily lives. Maybe that’s why we need Winter—so we can see them better, so we can allow them to p-u-l-l us forward, so the discomfort can Push us through the stoicism (and fear) to transformation. We can be maturing fruits and blooming flowers at the same time. It’s been almost a year of some serious Pushing and even longer that the whisper ideas have been p-u-l-l-i-n-g me forward. I remember now! Flowers do bloom in the snow!