It is officially spring and most of us have been experiencing rain and snow that brings out all the bright and beautiful spring colors.

In Southern California, the birds are noticeably more awake every morning and our dog, Coco, has dramatically increased her frequent stops to smell all the new spring flowers as we walk.

It is a beautiful time of year and yet you would also have heard me mention that it is about time the rain stops and we get the sunshine-filled days back.

In a bigger picture, our lives do reflect rainbows that nearly everything has a mix of challenge, hard work, set-backs, or struggle that coincide with the celebration of accomplishment and celebration.

It is the mix of doing our best to find our way through the storms where growth occurs and our gratitude for the flowers that bloom.

It also reminds me that sometimes the only way through the storm is through it.  To embrace the time to be at a different pace, to dance in the rain, or to use time for growth you may not have felt you had time to give.

I encourage you to keep the phrase, “You can't have a rainbow without rain and sunshine” in your thoughts for yourself and also for those around you.