For everything there is a season….Ecclesiastes 3:1a

And who could be more tuned in to the changing seasons than we are right now? Oh yes, summer made an appearance in recent days but even her punch couldn’t keep the nights from cooling down or the peak temperature of our days from lasting very long. The mornings and evenings definitely have the feel of fall.

The team sports we follow maintain the same pattern every year. The summer is filled with water activities, cookouts, and cold watermelon. Maybe we’ll throw in a few fireworks too.  Winter finds us skating on frozen ponds or skimming down snowy mountainsides. And let’s not forget the roaring fire of evening…hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows.

Spring finds all creation beginning anew, bearing their young. By summer, the next generation is growing fast, perhaps even on its own. In fall, preparations begin for the cold winter ahead. Burrows are dug, food is stored and hibernation soon begins and with it the knowledge that some will not survive the cold or shortage of food. And before we can blink an eye, it all begins again.

We humans have our seasons as well. And I find there’s a certain peace in knowing that everything God has created comes full circle. The seasons will continue to pass seamlessly by, the oceans will continue to ebb and flow, the sun and moon will continue to light our way, the earth will continue to rotate on its axis.

A time to plant…Ecclesiastes 3:2b  

New babies will continue to spring into life ready to grow and learn. They’ll become toddlers, then young boys and girls who will turn into tweens and eventually teens. When their formal education ends, they’ll move on to the summer of life where they’ll work hard at a craft or career, marry, and have babies of their own to raise. They’ll be the ones wakened at all hours, sitting up with a sick or frightened child. They’ll be the ones concerned over grades, hauling sweaty athletes to and from practices, and attending their games. They’ll be the ones going to band concerts and ballet recitals, making that unexpected trip to the emergency room because of a bike ride gone wrong or a teen who wasn’t watching the road carefully enough. And before they know it, they’ll be giving those babies away in marriage to begin chasing their own dreams and they’ll be left with an empty nest. They realize that the autumn of life has arrived and they repurpose the kids’ rooms, plan trips to faraway places, cruises down a lazy river, and all the wonderful opportunities that retirement has to offer. A chance to read, to volunteer for some project that catches their interest, to gather together with friends and share stories about their lives.

….and a time to harvest…Ecclesiastes 3:2b

And one day, they notice the many crops they’ve harvested over the years and witness the fruits of their labors. And they realize that winter is upon them, a time to slow down and watch the world go by, faster and faster all the time. And one-day winter ends, and a bright new horizon shines before them, the gates of heaven stand open, waiting for them to enter. What a beautiful ending to the cycle we call life.

 ….and a time for peace…8b

One of ours entered heaven’s gates recently and we celebrated his life last week…it was truly a time of celebration.

A time to cry and a time to laugh….

A time to grieve and a time to dance…. Ecclesiastes 3:4