Spiritual practice and photos submitted by Maria Olson, Associate Registrar, Luther Seminary

We all have spiritual practices that we were taught growing up, are a family tradition or something that challenges us during a special time in the church calendar. Spring is the time of year for rebirth and a reboot of those practices for me.  After the heaviness COVID-19 and celebration of Easter my practice turns to the simple, the search for flowers. I see nature as my reminder that God is at work. It starts off with small reminders that growth happens even in the tiniest of places. On my walks I search for the first buds on a shrub like forsythia or the bold tip of a tulip bulb poking through the earth’s surface. It reminds me that beauty and strength come through endurance. These plants have weathered the winter season and have come out the other side ready to show us all their glory.

My practice is to walk, look, breathe and say thank you for another opportunity. It isn’t something I do for speed like running a race. It isn’t something I live stream on my Instagram. It is a moment that I share by myself in appreciation of God’s beautiful creations.

I hope that you will challenge yourself to try a new spiritual practice. Give yourself credit for each and every amount you can carve out. Looking for pockets of practice in our rush about world isn’t easy to do. But we can choose to take the two minutes we got by hitting a red light to reset and adjust our view for the day. There are small reminders of God everywhere if we slow down long enough to take a peek.