Every year spring comes, and nature is renewed. After long, cold winter days, we cannot wait to spend some of our free time in the sunshine and in fresh air, and as much time as possible. We are attracted to nature and sunshine. We cannot wait to go outdoors after work or at the end of the week. Spring begins with the Easter holidays, when the trees begin to bloom and the first spring flowers open.

Nature wakes from its winter sleep under the influence of sunshine, spring showers and warm weather. A lot of people compare women to flowers. The works of Hungarian and international poets and writers testify to this. But what does it take for a woman to flourish? And all this for the rest of her life?

To do that, one needs to find her own place in the world. To be fulfilled in her work, to find a supportive and understanding partner, to be healthy for herself and her family, and to live in a harmony. If there is something missing, she will feel like her life is not complete. I compare women to flowers, because flowers cannot bloom when the sun does not shine on them, when they do not get enough precipitation, or if the temperature around them is not right.

I consider myself incredibly lucky because both in my work and in my personal life I have found the opportunity to fulfil my desires and complete myself. When a woman can do a job that has healthy challenges, where she has the opportunity to help others and develop and learn for herself, there is no better job than that. And besides, if her

family supports her and they can live together in harmony, she will get a lot of energy from her surroundings, which she then can invest back into supporting her family, help her aging parents and the relatives and friends who need it.

This spring, every woman needs all her smarts and all her energy. We are facing an unusual challenge this year. We have never been in a situation like this during our generation. Perhaps we could only hear deterrent stories from our grandparents, where during or after the war there was no free movement, or it was even dangerous to be outside in the streets, there was not enough food in the shops, there was queues everywhere, and people’s freedom was restricted. For women, this period was a particularly challenging time, but their perseverance and dedication solved every situation. Now we have been living in a situation like this for a few weeks because of the risk of infection. Even though the sun is shining and nature is inviting, we do not go hiking and relaxing in our favourite places, we cannot go shopping when and the way we usually do, and we cannot find all the products on the shelves that we are used to always having at hand. Now we must put all our strength together to meet both changed work and home tasks, while supporting our families and relatives, friends, and fellow strangers in need of help. And after all that, we are women who want to flourish. But, like our great-grandmothers and grandmothers once did, we can do all that. It is springtime, let us go out into the fresh air, enjoy the sunshine. In the evening, let us look up to the sky and give thanks for being healthy and living in a loving family. In safety, well-being, and harmony. (Of course, it could always be better, so let us plan what we should do differently, and let’s do it.) Let us think of this time as it is a temporary situation and there is something good about everything. Let us rest, read, learn something new. All of this fills us up spiritually.

This situation will soon be over, and we will emerge recharged and strengthened, there will be the opportunity for every woman to finally be fulfilled and prosper. To do this, I wish you all the strength and energy!

With love,

MargóMay 2020