Navigating the Seasons
Carol Condon
I am not a winter person. I do not like to be cold. During one especially cold winter day, I was talking to my Mom and mentioned that I hate winter. She quickly corrected me. She told me not to resent the seasons, as they are needed to make the following season “beautiful.”
I
added the adjective “beautiful” as spring is my second favorite season only
topped by summer. I love watching life return to all that winter depleted. I am
amazed at how the dried up and lifeless landscape begins transforming seemingly
right before my eyes.
Each
season has tools that are needed to maneuver through them. In spring we bust
out the shovel and tiller to prepare our garden. The lawn mower and weed eater
have been gassed up and are ready to start their weekly schedule. The ladder is
set up for the much-needed spring-cleaning both inside and outside the home.
Summer
is next and I couldn’t be happier. Sunscreen and flip-flops have replaced
sweatshirts and boots. The AC and fans are handy for the hot, humid days. The
garden is growing and the sprinklers are sprinkling. The garden rake stays busy
attacking all the weeds and the fishing poles stand strung and ready.
Fall
starts off so nice. The heated days are slowly replaced with cool ones. The
trowel is digging and planting bulbs for the following spring. The garden is harvested
and the tiller comes back out to prepare the ground for winter. The rakes are
busy sweeping through the yards gathering all the fallen leaves. The pruning
shears cut back the plants and the lawn mower makes its final run for the year.
The fire pit comes out and marshmallows are purchased.
Winter
never seems to creep in. It roars! We fill the wiper fluid in our vehicles. The
snow shovels have been placed by the garage door. Ice scrapers have been put
into each car and the ice pellets set just inside the door. The gloves, hats
and boots have been brought out of storage as winter comes welcomed or not.
What
about our seasons of life? “For
everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3 Do we have our
“tools” handy? There is a time to laugh and a time to cry. A time to grieve and
a time to dance. Are we prepared to switch seasons? Do we have the proper tools
to navigate them?
Our
“tools” need to be handy as we transition from season to season. We need to
have the Scriptures at our fingertips and the songs on our play lists. The podcasts need downloaded and the
books purchased. The friend’s list needs weeded and the spirit need renewed.
The
seasons will change whether we are ready or not. How you navigate them is up to
you.
