~ March 11, 2025

As the days grow longer, there is a sense of anticipation in the air. Springtime brings with it the promise of renewal, transformation, and growth. The transition from Winter to Spring is full of hope. It reminds us that no matter how long the cold lingers, warmth always returns. New beginnings are just around the corner, waiting to bloom.

This time of year as nursery growers, we want the temperature to stay cool as long as possible and then slowly become warmer. A slow Spring warm up keeps the trees from coming out of dormancy too quickly and gives us more time to get our field work done. Slow and steady, a pace set by nature and not by us. Weather that we cannot control. The need to be adaptable and pivot quickly when necessary. Craziness and chaos in the moment. Unexpected equipment breaks. Trees that get damaged or don’t leaf out for whatever reason. All of these things are our normal daily Spring drama in the nursery. But by May, everything is always green as it comes back to new life. The work gets done. Trees get planted and trees get harvested. Equipment gets fixed. It rains some days and snows others. As I am writing this I am realizing that we already know what to do, and we just need to let it happen and trust that it will all be green soon and growing again. Actually it already is, and we just need to recognize it.

In this unfolding, we find a reflection of our own cycles of dormancy and renewal. Spring teaches us the virtue of waiting, of trusting the unseen forces at work beneath the surface. It reminds us that growth is often unseen until, suddenly, it is undeniable.

To anticipate spring is to embrace the inevitability of change, to understand that every winter of the soul will give way to new beginnings. The world does not remain frozen forever; warmth, light, and life will always return. And so, we wait. Not in impatience, but in faith.  This season we are leaning even more into our SGN vision of growing healthy trees, deep roots, and strong communities. Our healthy trees give us hope that goodness can grow, our deep roots anchor us when times get tough, and our strong communities lift us up and surround us with love and support.

~ Becky Thomas & Maggie Thomas Harper