The transition of winter to spring is more than flipping a day on a calendar. It’s full of slow and steady steps for transitions such as shedding wool hats for light sweaters to t-shirts. It’s a melting, revealing, and growing. Sometimes it’s abrupt: a warm revealing of yellow grass one day to become snow covered the next. Just like we don’t push our hands into frozen soil but wait until the ground has softened naturally – we can let change happen in its own time.
We drive on the frozen lake to stop where he thinks the fish will bite the bait. My grandson jumps from the truck onto the snow-covered ice, eager to help unload the fishing gear that includes an auger, a shovel, and firewood. Once the holes are drilled, the rods anchored and the fire lighted, we sit on canvas chairs, and wait. We watch for a line tug, and listen for the ring of a bell that hangs from each rod.
When it happens, my grandson races to the hole, and pulls the line up. “Hand over hand, slow and steady,” we call out. But it’s too late. Pulling the line up before the hook set, the fish escapes with the bait. “You’ll have another chance,” we tell him as bait is added and the line dropped down.
The next time, he grabs the line so fast the rod releases, but he hears our directions. Hand over hand, slow and steady. Soon a fish lies on the ice. He jumps, excited, kneels by the flipping fish as if to say “thank you” then carefully picks it up with both hands, and releases it back into the hole.

The days of ice-fishing this winter are declining as spring approaches. Frozen atoms in the ice break as the temperature rises. Natures winter slumber wakes up slowly, in a steady resolve to bud fully as the days grow warm and as the sun sets later. A slow and steady refreshing revival.

Change is inevitable. Even a change we’ve been waiting for like a new job, a new home, and marriage can invoke stress. We can quickly try to adapt to our new environments, pull in new schedules, new people, and habits, yet tugged by the anchor of what we know. Our brains natural response is to hold on to what it knows, even when the change is good.
3 Slow and Steady Steps for transitions
1. Validate your feelings. Don’t get hooked into guilty feelings from the uncertainty you feel especially if the change is good. Instead, talk to a friend, a life-coach, and/or journal to help you navigate the change. Understand that your feelings are normal and it takes time for brain to accept what’s new.
2. Refresh with self-care. Exercise, eat healthy, get outside, and make time in your schedule to do what you enjoy. Self-care reduces anxiety to increase your overall mental health, so that you have fortitude to navigate through change.
3. Revive with gratitude. Seeing what is good can boost dopamine, our brain’s “happy” hormone.
Importantly, be gentle with yourself. Allow your slow and steady steps for transitions reveal new routines. Steadily tug at the new ways. When you want to drop back to the old, validate your feelings, and release them to God. Slow and steady. Hand over hand He guides you as you walk this new path, refreshing your mind and soul.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23: 1-4 (NIV)
Easter Bible Reading Plan with the Psalms
Lent has begun, the 40 days leading up to Easter. Did you know Lent derives from a word meaning ‘lengthen?’ Like the slow and steady steps for transitions, the days slowly transition to more light as Easter approaches and winter transitions to spring. To help me refresh my bible reading time, I created an Easter reading plan that you can have to! You can grab a PDF version HERE.

Lynn, I so appreciate your suggestions for navigating change well. As our sons both prepare/continue in the launching process, my brain (and, let’s face it, my emotions) has some hard days in making sense of all the change. I so appreciate the reminder to be gentle with myself.
Hi Jeanne! The hope is in the knowing that our brain will adapt to the change, so we can be gentle with ourselves during the process. Let us never beat ourselves up over our emotions erupting during transitions. May you continue to see all the good that is happening with your sons as they “launch” into adulthood!
Beautiful words, along with a necessary reminder for us to take care of ourselves. Thank you, Lynn.❤️
You are welcome, Jill! I know puzzling is a joyful activity for you. Have found more good buys on puzzles to add to your collection?
Oh, yes. I think we have an endless supply! 🙂 Enjoy your weekend, Lynn. xo
Sometimes we just need someone to write out a few healthy steps to get us headed in the right direction or assure us that all will be well. Transitions sometimes seem to last forever but gratitude is a huge gamechanger. Thanks for the reminder that we’re not alone, Lynn …
Happy weekend to you, friend.
I so agree, Linda! It need only be a slight change of action to change. It takes our brain time to adjust. Happy weekend to you too!
Lynn, the story of ice fishing with your grandson is precious! And the practical help for navigating change is priceless!
Yes, we do make memories when ice-fishing! He loves it. And look we look forward to summer fishing, so you may be reading stories about that! Have a great weekend!
Those are great steps that we all can apply to any change in our life. Even good changes come with stress, and we need to take care of ourselves then too. Congratulations on all the new things ahead for you!
Such a precious memory with your grandson, Lynn! I can almost visualize his excitement. 🙂 Thank you for the tips that help with change. Important reminders! Love and blessings to you!
Thank you for this inspirational message. I am thankful that during times of change, we can go to the Father and find comfort. 🙂
Aw, what an experience. I’m sure he’ll bring with him memories and lessons of this simple activity.
I love the three things you shared here. Change is not always easy but these are sure great recipes for helping us cope and transition.
Thank you for your beautiful thoughts about transition and change. I can just imagine how excited your grandson was to catch that fish. Thank you for the reminder that we can let change happen in its own time. Change is hard but it is also good.