Faithful Friday: Seasons

This weekend marks the celebratory close of summer.  Earth seems to know the calendar, as the signs of fall have been slowly appearing.  Leaves are beginning to change, gardens are fading, flowers and plants aren't as lush and bright as earlier in the season.

Seasons are inevitable.  Both in landscapes and in life, there is an ebb and flow. The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes.

 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”  - Genesis 8:22

I've reminded Tim he's in a season right now.  Just about time for winter, he should be healed.  His spring will just come early.  Now is his time to shed the pain, like falling leaves, retreat, and heal.  Just as a brittle tree braces through the winter winds, seemingly lifeless, green soon emerges.  My sturdy oak will survive this and come out stronger on the other side.  It's just a season.
One of my sweet volunteers uses the expression as well, while talking with women facing cancer.  As they share with her their concerns in losing their hair, she wraps them in a hug and reminds them that "this too shall pass."  And then she helps them embrace the change by finding just the perfect wig that helps that woman remember she's beautiful.

Grief has seasons too.  I remember all too well our cold, barren winter after losing Austin.  Fitting that the earth's season matched at the time, though its spring came much quicker than our own.  Healing from such a loss comes in slow steps.  Gradual.  There is no pretty timeline.  And even when you feel you've reached the end, a memory or moment can drag you back to the lonely and coldest season of the year.  You survive because you know spring will once again arrive, in time.

For everything there is a season...but God's promise is that no matter what season we may find ourselves in, He is always there.  That promise is a constant, regardless of the changes that may come our way.  Knowing this is how I can find joy, even in the longest of most difficult seasons of life.

For whatever season you are facing today, hold onto to the hope in knowing a new season will arrive. 
In time.

Kentucky Weather

There's a saying in Kentucky that goes something like....if you don't enjoy the weather here, just hang around, it'll change.  For most, I'd say that Kentucky weather is an annoyance.  I would agree that I was not a fan of the Ice Storm of 09' and would mark it down as about the worst weather experience of my life.  It's also not great for my closet that I have to keep a sampling of clothes to fit every season all year long, because you just never know what the temperature is going to be.  I'm not thrilled when summers like the past are so hot you could fry and egg, every hour of every day...sometimes even indoors.  And, if you suffer from allergies of any kind, Kentucky weather is very unforgiving.  Just ask my sinuses.

However, what I love about the weather here is that we do get to experience each and every season.  Sure, sometimes we experience each of the four seasons within a season but at least we have variety.  I couldn't imagine celebrating Christmas in a tropical holiday, nor could I imagine the 4th of July in the snow.  While it's nice to vacation at locations such as those, I wouldn't want to live there.  I enjoy watching the seasons change here, even if they don't always come according to our schedule.

My body has had a hard time adjusting to the recent time change.  Even before we moved our clocks back and hour, my body was telling me it was bedtime way before 7 p.m.  When it's cold and dark outside, I can certainly relate to the hibernating animals who take advantage of this time of year.   In fact, it's just what we did last night.  It wasn't even 8:00, and yet Tim and I agreed without even talking that it was time to go to bed.  Noah thought we'd lost our minds but we were able to coax him with the confusion of the time change, the darkness outside, and the fact that we always try to go to bed early on Sunday night.  I just feel it's a better start to the week when you've had a solid eight hours of sleep.

 Sometimes I wonder if God didn't plan for us to slow down a bit, as we transition from fall to winter.  It's easy to get overwhelmed with the calendar and the busyness of the season.  Between the two major holidays, most people's schedules are filled with a combination of the normal chaos between work, home and school, added with a juggling of parties, shopping, cooking, and all the demands that seem to pull you in every direction.  It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle that we truly lose the 'reason for the season'.

I appreciate that the weather this time of year usually sets the mood for staying in, snuggling up, and being home with the ones you love.  It's a reminder to me to never forget what's important in life and keeping a busy social calendar and mile long to-do list are not among them.  I'm looking forward to chilly afternoons cooped up in the house, sipping hot chocolate, and playing board games. 

My mind was already settled and ready for cold weather.  This past weekend, I'd finished up the job of pulling out the winter coats, hats and gloves.  I'd stored away most of the tank tops and swim trunks.  Tim readied the boat for the season and we covered it until spring.  And then we got today.  As I turned on the news for the week's weather, I was surprised to find out it would be unusually warm.  78 degrees doesn't seem quite right for November and I found myself wondering what to wear. 

While it put my fall-like mood on hold, I was thankful for the sunshine.  We get the blessing of a break, a gift of a few days of warmth.  I'm storing up the sun's rays for those long frosty days of winter that are just around the bend.  I'll hold onto to the joyful weather this week and remember it in the coming days.  I know our family will need all the comfort and joy we can store in just a few short weeks.  As November comes to a close, it will be a sad reminder of a life lost to us, during a time of celebration for most.

In fact, the weather this week reminds me again how little control we have and that all things happen in God's timing.  The timing of this lesson couldn't be more perfect, as I prepare myself and our family for the second anniversary of Austin's angel date.  Life, much like Kentucky weather, is unpredictable.  We must hold on to each day and soak up everything it has to offer...whether is a gloomy day filled with rain or an unexpected burst of sunshine.  Each day is precious and full of purpose.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1