In the contemplation of spring, a faint stir begins to whisper underneath the blanket of snow.  Unobserved, and unobtrusively, the acorn having shed it's hard shell like a pair of worn out pants prepares to begin it's slow upward ascent. Absolutely dead and lifeless - as long as it remained a seed, it remained powerless. 

Even a squirrel could have its way with the acorn then. It was rolled on, and rolled over, kicked and ignored and finally buried and left alone. 

But underneath the cool shroud of darkness, deep within the earth...life renewed again, imperceptible to the observing eye, the seed became a sapling rooting further downward, excavating the deep rich terrain of the soil to dig deep for the nutrients it will need to burst forth into the sun. 

And we exclaim as awareness dawns..."Wow, where did this come from?"  "We didn't know she had that in her."  Still the sapling knows as it emerges that the road ahead will remain tough.  It can anticipate that there will be storms, rain, and wind, lightning and thunder; trying circumstances which will test its patience to live and remain connected to the life force of the earth. 

 But it has made a choice and live it will.  The suns' caress providing the sustaining energy and inner wisdom to thrive and grow; it will survive. The spindly sapling will conquer the odds for this is what it was born to do...it was born to be an oak tree and the struggle only reveals what was inherent even in dormancy. 

There is no overnight success.  Success is hard fought & hard won.  Perhaps right now, you find yourself buried, counted down for the count, ignored and marginalized...take courage and find strength undercover, it is your protection.  When you emerge, expect opposition...it is designed to strengthen the fiber of your being. 

Look for your teachers, for like the sun, they will be called forth to sustain and encourage you with their wisdom.  Be prepared to be flexible; bend but never break.  To bend is to be humble, to break is to accept defeat.  And you will not be defeated...for the shell of the acorn, like the cocoon of the butterfly merely preserved the dream until it was ready to burst forth into flight!