Seasons

It seems to be that a couple of times each year I have a strong pull towards thinking about seasons. Maybe it's the anticipation of spring and warmer weather, maybe it's smelling the changes in the air as winter slowly starts to fade and spring takes its first morning stretches. In any case, thinking about seasons inevitably gets me to thinking about the seasons of life. It is so like God to create a physical representation of what happens in the hearts and minds and even lives of his children. When in the midst of a dark and bitter winter we can know that, though we know not when, spring will burst forth in our future. When we are wilting in the dry and weary heat of summer we can know that autumn will arrive with its bountiful harvests if we but hang on.

In the midst of mothering a little one and wrestling with the ups and downs of pregnancy hormones I
find comfort in knowing that the season I am in won't last forever. I love watching my little girl learn new things and broaden her abilities and thought-processes each day--it is utterly amazing to me to watch her transform before my eyes from baby into toddler. I wouldn't trade these days for anything, and yet I also look forward to the days ahead...swinging side by side as high as we can go at the park, laughing as we share an ice cream sundae, getting mother-daughter pedicures together, and listening to her pour her heart out about her passions, dreams, desires, and fears. I look forward to the future seasons that, Lord-willing, await us.

 I find though, that in order to most appreciate the next season we have to fully immerse ourselves in the season we are presently in. For this California girl, it is easy to spend the cold and windy days of Idaho winters indoors wishing them away and pining for spring. I have to admit to my fair share of inward whining over the injustice of yet another wind-whipped day. And yet, when I get outside of myself and my own preconceived notions of how things "should" be, I find that I can appreciate the beauty of the wind swaying the trees, the frost adorning the branches, and the blankets of fluffy clouds overhead. I can even find ways to celebrate the season...through lighting candles on gloomy days, bundling up and letting my toddler experience the sensation of wind-blown cheeks, and having hot cocoa ready to come back in and enjoy after our fun in the cold is done.

There are days I still pine for spring, but if I find the things to celebrate in the midst of this season I notice the smiles come easier and a thankful heart bubbles up more quickly. So let us not give up hope on finding beauty where we are right now. It is all around, if we turn our eyes outward. And if the season you are in happens to be a long, harsh winter remember that spring is preparing to bloom underneath the layers of frost and snow. The sun will come out, the snow will melt, and the flowers will burst forth.