Wildflowers Grow Where the Fires Have Raged

A wise friend said to me a few days ago that there comes a time when something in our world has to die so that a better, stronger, more beautiful part might live. Faced with his truth, I was afraid - because I had to ask myself if that was true for me now, too.

It is easy to be afraid when that thing is someone we love, or a relationship with someone we love, because loving others is one of the best ways we know to foster the love that has always been deep down within each of ourselves.

The next morning, I got up and went running, despite the rain, and without knowing my destination. As my feet and my heart led me up a mountainside where a wildfire had once burned, I felt stronger in the face of my fear. I felt stronger because what I was doing was loving myself, by doing something that was good for my body and by letting my spirit experience the beauty of the world around me.

At the top of that mountain, as the rain stopped and the fog began lifting, I found myself surrounded by wildflowers growing amidst the scars of the fire. It was there for a moment that my mind understood the experience of love as well, as I found peace in Mother Earth’s reminder that my friend is right - 

The most beautiful, wild flowers grow at the top of the mountain, where the fires have raged.