5 Springtime Signs of Hope for Single Catholics

Spring is a time of renewal and new life. It’s wonderful to see all the bright colors, green grass, and trees after a dull, cold winter. But remember that new life can spread into our lives, too!
It’s a great time for us to claim this renewal, even in our dating lives. This could look like giving someone new a chance, or cleaning up our online dating profiles. It could even mean taking a break from the online dating scene!
Here are some signs of spring that should bring us hope and how they do.

Easter

There is nothing more hopeful than our Savior defeating death and rising from the grave. We can do this, too. Go deeper into your spiritual life or get back to basics. Holiness and sainthood sound convoluted and complicated but what they mean is drawing ever closer to Christ. Spring is a great time to work on our relationships with God.

In this same way, get back to basics in discerning your vocation. Seriously consider what you’re looking for in a spouse and if family life is where you’re being drawn to. Maybe even pick a religious order to go on a discernment retreat with if you’re feeling the Lord call you down that path.

Flowers

Seeing new growth reminds us that our future is also bright. Like seeds in the dirt, we often wait in the darkness before we can spring forth into new areas of growth and life. All that new growth in the springtime and the first blooms of all the flowers and plants is so refreshing after winter. If God creates the plants with such care and new life, can you imagine how much He cares for us?

Want a practical way to rejoice in this hopeful sign? Send a bouquet of flowers to a loved one or your significant other and invite others to share in this hope with you. Flowers, of course, are also a great gift idea for a date (and here are some springtime date ideas).

Warmer days

Being able to be more active in the outdoors makes us feel like we can be more active in all areas of our life, including our dating lives! Spring catapults us from a state of slowing down, of almost hibernation, into a state of newness and activity. There’s new energy and life to our lives. There’s a reason that springtime was when all of the animals in Bambi became “twitterpated” and not another season.

So get twitterpated yourself and take advantage of the nicer weather! Enjoy the season and enjoy the company of others, especially a significant other.

Or, if you don’t have a significant other yet, spring clean your dating profile and give your online dating some new life.

The winding down of the school year

Even if you’re not in school or not a teacher, the impending end of the school year is a huge sign of hope. Doesn’t it make you feel more energized just thinking about it? Less strict schedules, more opportunities for travel, more freedom to be outside and wherever we want to be. The end of one thing means the beginning of something else.

Pick something fun or new to pursue this summer whether that be an activity and interest or something spiritual. Don’t forget about your dating life, either! Find something new to pursue together, plan a fun excursion, and learn something new about each other.

Or maybe it’s time to let go of a relationship that’s just not working anymore and open yourself up to something or someone new. Perhaps it’s time to take that leap with a match you’ve been talking with for a while but you haven’t gone on a date with yet. It might even time to let go of online dating altogether!

Spring gives us the hope and the energy to let go of what needs to be let go and to start something new.

Butterflies

Caterpillars cocooning and then bursting forth as a brand new creature is a great metaphor for us and how we are given a new chance every day. Change can be scary, especially in the fear of not recognizing ourselves when the transformation is over. But being melted down and reformed doesn’t mean we forget or lose any part of ourselves. Instead, it means God takes what is already there in us and makes us into something beautiful.

In this way, I think butterflies are the best symbol of hope. We remember but we are made anew, just as the caterpillars into butterflies, and even more magnificently.

Starting a new relationship can be scary, too. When I was driving home from my first date with my now-husband, after we decided to give a relationship a shot, I was so anxious about what changes that would bring in my life and to me that I almost broke up with him when I got home! But instead of fearing change, I decided to see where it would bring me and (clearly!) I made a good decision in that.

We all have to change at some point. This Spring, remember that it’s better to accept that change will happen than trying to put it off. Every ugly caterpillar either dies or becomes a butterfly. We have that choice, too. So this Spring, become a butterfly.