It is clear that the seasons are changing. The sun is coming up a little later in the morning and the air is becoming just a tad cooler. There is a carpet of dew that glimmers in the early morning sun and creates a dampness that wasn’t there only a couple of weeks ago.
Just as the seasons bring changes, our lives can also be viewed in the same pattern. When we are very young, life is like spring time with all the incredible possibilities at our disposal. Just the other day, my grandchildren came over and stayed for most of the afternoon. They spent their time running around the back yard with Carl and Bee nipping at their feet and crawling through the doggy doors, laughing at themselves as the dogs licked their faces. The day ended in the bath tub with bubbles covering them from head to toe and a joy that only comes from being young and naïve.
This past Sunday, I visited my father-in-law at the assisted living community where he lives. For several minutes, I sat on the porch with many of the residents that are now living in the deep winter of their lives. Songs were sung that I remember when I was a young child and conversations were battered around with a little laughter mixed in. It is hard to understand how these residents feel as they wait out their time in a home that most didn’t choose but were placed by concerned family members.
As fall creeps its way in, I feel like this is the season that I am now living. With my teaching career behind me and my children grown and independent, life has begun to take on a variance that I wasn’t expecting. Blessings come from unexplored places; new friends, a husband that still loves me, and a family that draws on my heart strings. As the seasons of our lives change, we are also transformed as well. What meant so much to us in the spring and the summer of our lives don’t seem to be as important.
Success is being redefined and the value of what actually matters has drastically changed. Connecting with people on a deeper level becomes more important than how much money I have in my pocket. Just today, I was flooded with God’s blessings as a group of women came together to study God’s word and share from their hearts. It was amazing how we were strangers when entering the room and close friends when leaving.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 states it best. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” So with autumn fast approaching, my hope is that I will relish the beauty of this season that God has so graciously given to all of us.
I can identify with the last paragraph as I now approach the winter season of my life. Family and friends become so much more important than “things” we think will satisfy us. I am thankful for the unconditional love of my Father and the way that allows me to have lifelong friends that I love in the same way.