Lessons from the Seasons...

May 7, 20244 min read

The state I grew up in had what I would consider great seasons. Each one had their time of the year and we really did experience each of them. We had good winters with snow and cold and all the fun things. We had spring with flowers in bloom and lots and lots of rain. Summer wasn't my favorite as a child, but there were things I liked about the longer days and sunshine. Fall was my favorite. The perfect mild temperature and beautiful colors of the leaves as they begin to prepare for winter. One of my favorite childhood memories of fall is still the festivals. Every year, we would load up and go to on the Spoon River Drive. Spending all day eating caramel apples and finding all kinds of unique items, drinking hot cider and enjoying all the things you could imagine at a great fall fest. I even remember a little shop downtown that had homemade peanut butter fudge. Every year, now we look for a good fall fest and try a new one if we can find one. There are still several good things out there, but we may need to start travelling farther away to get to some new ones soon. I believe we have absorbed everything we can find at the local ones. The kids are starting to get older and it would be fun to travel and see more of what other localities have to offer. My husband and I found a good music festival in McKinney, Texas that was amazing. This cute little town was overrun with the most amazing shops and cafes and old historic hotels. We were on our way to a funeral of all things and mapped out the closest hotel and found ourselves in a place that we enjoyed immensely, even if it was just one day.

Now, I live in a state where you sometimes can't tell what season you are in. They mesh into each other and have such short timeframes that it doesn't seem like most of the seasons actually get their full time. The summer, however, is blazing hot. I mean if you are outdoors, you are constantly in a state of sweat unless you are in the water and even then, when you get out of the watery relief there are signs that the sun still had it's effect on you. It has become my favorite season of the year though. I'm always looking for a reason to be out in water and instead of chasing fall fairs, I find myself chasing water parks:) A couple years ago, we took the kids to one they hadn't been to before and it was just amazing. If you have any favorites near Arkansas, shoot them my way. We are always on the look-out.

Our youngest was in the store just this week, trying to spend her earnings on summer fun items. Spring went by in such a blur that it didn't even seem possible that we were on the brink of summer, but our first pool party is this weekend, and we will be in full water mode soon!

Watching her drag out those summer toys, it hit me, how even in drastically different climates, what we enjoy or spend our time doing had changed.

You've always heard Seasons come and go and they truly do. What you don't realize is that you may not like some of those seasons and some of the seasons you use to enjoy, you may always enjoy or may totally shift focus and enjoyment to another season and all of it's wonder. Which if you haven't realized, every season has its moments of wonder. Just the other day at the very end of Spring. Not just any spring but a pollen filled, waterlogged spring, we looked up and saw a rainbow in the sky. In that moment, God reminded me that He is the beauty in the seasons and in everyday life experiences. In the rain, He is sheltering us. In the heat, he is offering relief. In the calm, he is guarding our hearts and in the cold and painful things, he is holding us and offering us His comfort.

So often, in the hard seasons of life, it is easy to forget or even question God. Why are these things happening or how do I get out of this season? At least for me, when I stopped trying to get out of the season and began trying to focus on God no matter the season and ask Him to change me in that season, that is where I found hope and peace. Realize that where you are in life is just a season. No matter how long or uncomfortable it may seem. Ask God to give you joy in this season and grow you through this season and help you find new ways to experience and enjoy his gifts to us. They are all still right there!