Seasons

Just like the seasons of our climate, our lives have seasons. Each season brings with it new opportunities and sometimes challenges. But undoubtedly, there is beauty to find in it all. The heat of the summer has just as much beauty as the coldness of winter.  The growth in spring is just as significant as the inward turn of fall. My daughter’s favorite book growing up was “To Every Thing There is a Season” by Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon. The book is beautifully illustrated. I sat down to read this book to her over many years, always at her request. My daughter, I believe, is an old soul and soaked up the message in this book at a very young age.  

In our lives, we experience the emotions and experiences of different seasons. Some seasons are filled with joy, love, companionship, and optimism; others are filled with sadness, absence, and doubt. I offer this to you. All the emotions we experience of light and dark are necessary. Ours is to understand and embrace that all are also temporary.  Of course, we would prefer to experience only the favorable seasons, which bring positive emotions, but life has cycles. We can have faith through the darkness that light and love exist and are on the horizon.   

Sometimes, a dying-off must occur for new life to grow. There is no more remarkable example of that than when we see a hillside where a fire has burned. After the fire, the ground is black and scorched and appears to have wiped out all existence of life. But then something miraculous happens, and soon, we start to witness the resilience of life and the flourishing of new life emerging.  

We will all face challenges and even heartache in our lives. During these seasons, we must believe that we are resilient.  Knowing that life still exists and grows within us is wisdom to embrace. I wish for you all the beauty that life has to offer. That your soul harbors love and grace through all that this incredible life brings forward to you.  I walk alongside you and honor all those walking alongside me. Reflecting on my life thus far and the many changing seasons I have experienced, specifically the challenging ones, I am grateful for the new life I find myself in today. So may it be for you.