Well hello February, at last! Whilst it seems Christmas was not long ago dear ole January for me has done its usual trick of dragging its feet through dark mornings and indeed evenings. It was an absolute pleasure when on waking up this morning (around 7am) there was a shaft of light and dare I say a tip of the suns hat through the curtains. It was indeed a beautiful morning as when I got up and looked out the moon was still sharing its glow too, what a fabulous start to February.

There has through at the end of January been a little something that has appeared that every year makes me smile: the beautiful snowdrop!

I love snowdrops, they carry hope for the spring ahead but more than that they demonstrate to us all that within us is a strength, a strength that can carry us through the coldest of days, a strength that can push its way through adversity and a strength and show us that no matter we have the ability to pop back up and out into the world when it appears no one is watching.

Whether there is snow on the ground, whether the rain has caused puddles and sometimes floods or whether the ground is hard from a dry winter the trusty snowdrop will also battle its way through as if to say, ‘you won’t beat me’.

I like to think that the snowdrop is saying to us, ‘yes winter is a drag, it is dark and at times can make us all feel a little down, but like me you can break through and shine the path ahead into spring’.

There are times in our lives when each of us carry the winter with us even on the sunniest of days but if we can somehow at these times find the time to stop, be still and look inside us we will discover that deep down (sometimes hidden) is strength. I often say to people, look back at your life, check in to a time that you previously felt hope was lost, what did you do to bounce back? Utilise the experience of the past to learn the lesson it taught you, know that lesson was in fact strength (and in that resilience) thus enabling you to break back through and as they say ‘crack on’ with whatever life had delivered.

Resilience is indeed our strength and there is nothing like the trusty snowdrop to demonstrate this year in and year out. As Bob Marley shared in one of my favourite quotes: ‘you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have’.

So, however you are feeling today, check out the snowdrops outside, I am sure wherever you are or wherever you go over the next few weeks you will see them and thank them for showing you that there is indeed, always a way through.