Ripples of Renewal: Finding Joy in What Is Emerging

The headlines can feel overwhelming some days, but even in the midst of it all, some stories remind us of life’s stubborn resilience. Like seeds pushing up through concrete, joy has a way of surprising us. Renewal is always possible.

It reminds me of my own gardening story. I used to be an avid gardener; in fact, I started the community garden in Valley Ridge. What began as a simple wish to grow vegetables close to home blossomed into a project that brought neighbours together: hands in soil, laughter in the air, tomatoes ripening on the vine. For years, that garden gave me joy. But seasons shift. My life shifted. And I discovered there’s nothing wrong with letting go of what once lit me up to make room for something new.

Recently, I’ve been surprised by joy in a different way. A dear friend moved back to the city. For four years, I treasured her semi-annual visits. But her return has brought even more joy than I imagined: a new rhythm of friendship, unexpected laughter, and the deep comfort of knowing she is near.

It feels a little strange to talk about renewal in the fall, when we usually reserve that word for spring,  the time of blossoms, fresh starts, and longer days. But fall has its own kind of renewal. As the leaves turn and the air sharpens, we’re invited to find new joys in the rhythm of the season: cozy meals, warm sweaters, the gathering of friends indoors. Fall teaches us that letting go, like trees dropping their leaves, can be a form of renewal too. It makes space for what’s next, for joy that comes in different colours and textures.

There’s a wisdom in recognizing that joy evolves,  that it takes on different shapes in different seasons. The writer of Isaiah captures it beautifully: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19). That reminder helps me trust that God’s Spirit is always nudging us toward what is blooming, what is fresh, what is waiting to be noticed, even when we’re tempted to cling to what was.

So maybe the invitation isn’t to solve everything at once but to pay attention to what is already being restored. To welcome what is new. To laugh with an old friend who feels brand new again. To remember the joy of the garden while letting it rest. To notice how love keeps showing up,  in friendships rekindled, and in fresh beginnings that take us by surprise.

Because spirituality, for me, is about being awake to these wonders. It’s remembering that love isn’t an idea floating above us,  it’s rooted here, in soil and in conversations, in raspberries that come back after a long winter, in the small and steady work of renewal. It’s in the way we tend what’s before us, and keep our hearts open to what’s next.

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