Can you see it?

Springtime in the desert.

As a rare and true Arizona native and one who spends a good amount of time hiking through the shrub, the cacti and the rocks, I assure you ... it is there.

Every Easter we natives see the signs. You have to look close. Subtle changes. Buds hardly recognized, but ready to blossom.

We wait and watch. Sudden glimpses of color.

A bloom amid the thorns.

An Easter celebration in the desert.

I lived on the East Coast for two years. Spring meant tulips and daffodils. Bright green grass and cherry blossoms. And Easter egg hunts at the White House. A visual delight.

But it doesn’t tell the story like the thorns do.

We all step on stickers. Stops us in our tracks. Causes a lot of pain. Can't move forward until we address the problem.

Prickly periods of life where hope feels lost. Faith is questioned. And we cannot see the end.

He felt that too.

Wore a crown of thorns. In another desert a long time ago.

The same thorns that hurt us.

That is the miracle. The celebration of Easter. A time to reach out. And up. To one who truly knows.

He felt your disappointments. Your pain. Your fall.

Spring is about new birth. New growth. A fresh start.

Let's begin again.

Don’t look back. Spring has sprung as they say. Spring forward. Remove the sticker and take another step.

Lean on Him.

He will help if you look for Him.

A sign of hope. An eternal friend. And a Savior.

A bloom amid the thorns.