A season for everything

As we grow older it is so beautiful to recognise the different stages of our lives — not merely by looking at our age and what each new decade brings, but also by looking at the different experiences we have had throughout our lives. 

Life is a cycle of ever-changing seasons. (Photo: Brian Snyder, Reuters/CNS)

And we can clearly see that there has been a cycle of phases in our lives that resembles the different seasons as we know them in nature. The longer we have lived, the more beautiful it is to see how our lives have gone through winter, spring, summer and autumn.

Our lives continue to move through these seasons, it is not as if we complete one season and then move on to the next. During our lifetime we experience the seasons more than once, with different lengths of time and in no particular order.

While we all have our different preferences for the seasons, what we have in common is that some seasons give us life and the others not.

In Ecclesiastes 3 we read that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing”.

We should make the best of the seasons of our lives, because just as the seasons of nature, our own life seasons come with various degrees of value. For example, we can find deep meaning and value in an experience of hardship and maybe less meaning and value in an experience of carefree silliness.

Whatever is your favourite season, I leave you with this beautiful poem called “I Arise Today” by Macrina Wiederkehr.

I arise today with spring in my eyes:

Clear circling air, shining inspiration, wings of hope, unfolding buds, happy roots, blossoms of joy, necessary storms.

This is my inheritance in this vibrant new season.

I arise today in the wings of spring.

I arise today with summer in my heart:

Fire of enthusiasm, burning sun, abundant life, playful spirit, nesting birds, lush meadows, growing gardens.

This is my inheritance in this vibrant new season.

I arise today in the arms of summer.

I arise today with autumn in my soul:

Waters of wisdom, graceful ageing, transforming colours, crunching leaves, fruitful harvest, sweet surrender, life-giving death.

This is my inheritance in  this vibrant new season

I arise today in the breath of autumn.

I arise today with winter in my being:

Resting earth, gracious darkness, dreaming seeds, barren trees, frosty breath, glowing fireplaces, empty spaces.

This is my inheritance in this vibrant new season.

I arise today in the heart of winter.

Enjoy the rest of autumn and make the best of the winter to come. There is a season for everything.