After a season of upheaval, we often hear the phrase “bounce back.”
But I’ve come to believe this part of the journey isn’t about bouncing.
It’s about tending… tending to the soul that has just been cracked open by a miracle.
And yes, survival is a kind of miracle. Healing is too. So is feeling again.
Even when it’s messy or slow or unsure, it matters.
Lately, I’ve been feeling small flickers of something returning. Not energy, not certainty, just presence. Just a little spark. And I’m learning that’s more than enough.
It Only Takes a Spark
There’s a little song that’s been living in my memory like a blessing. Maybe you know it:
It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around are warmed up by its glowing…
That’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it,
You want to sing, it’s fresh like spring, you want to pass it on.
That song reminds me that a spark is never just for one person. The warmth we tend quietly within ourselves can become a light for someone else. A smile. A kindness. A listening ear. A poem. A butterfly photo. A hand on the shoulder. A soft “me too.”
We don’t always know what ripple we’re creating. But we can trust that love, like fire, spreads.
The Spark Isn’t Loud—But It’s Real
Sometimes the spark shows up as the will to get out of bed. Or to sit in the sunshine. Or to reach out to a friend. It can be the decision to say “no,” or to say “yes.” To cry without apology. To rest without shame.
It doesn’t have to look impressive. It just has to be real.
And when we give it space, it glows.
Tending the Spark
I’m learning to tend my spark gently. To surround it with warmth. To protect it from winds of judgment and noise. To feed it with silence, beauty, nature, prayer, and laughter, when it comes.
And when it dims, as it sometimes does, I hold it close. I trust it’s still there. Because I’ve seen how even the faintest glow can light the way through darkness.
Passing It On
The most extraordinary thing is that this small inner spark – this quiet, lived experience of divine love – wants to be shared. Not because we’re told to, but because it just overflows.
It’s like the song says: You want to sing. It’s fresh like spring. You want to pass it on.
So today, I’m grateful for the spark.
Grateful that it stays.
Grateful that it grows.
Grateful that, one day, it will become a fire.
And until then, I will tend it.
Gently. Faithfully. With love.