Tuesday, November 29, 2011

A Seasoned Life

Autumn is a beautiful time of year.  It is when I begin to see the obvious change of season from summer. Although last week we enjoyed unusual warm temperatures and sunshine here in Southern California. No complaints from me. 

For me, Autumn begins a season of joyful celebration of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The weather starts to cool down just enough to pull out the sweaters and boots without the overwhelming layers of winter. And the beautiful colors…I love autumn colors. Those who know me, know I love all shades of orange. Autumn is also the time when I begin to reflect on the year behind me, reminiscing the good times, putting away any difficult ones, then looking ahead at a new year and new beginnings.  The month of November is especially important to me, now since Aaron and I were married last year on Thanksgiving day, but also because it prepares my heart and mind for Christmas and the gifts God has given by reminding me to be grateful and focus on what I have and not what I don't have. To embrace today and not worry about tomorrow.

Every season has it's blessings and it's curses. But all for good reason and only for a season. They all have something to give us. But nothing that money could buy. It's the little things that matter, like the rain that washes & replenishes, the sun that dries & warms, the leaves that fall and make room for new growth and the cold air that purifies & tests. These little things don't seem like much, but they matter a whole lot  in the cycle of life and they should matter to us, too. 

I was at Jimbo's the week before Thanksgiving with my youngest daughter, Emma. We walked up to a counter with a  big picture of a real turkey and I began filling out an order form. She asked what I was doing and I told her I needed to order a turkey. Her response was "why are we ordering a Turkey, we don't even have a yard?" I looked down at her serious little face and couldn't help but laugh out loud. I just hugged her and told her how cute she was. These are the sweet moments that make me stop and give thanks. This is a season of watching my beautiful girls grow from children to teenagers…and all I can do is try to prepare them for all of life's seasons as they come. They grow up so fast and just as the seasons change quickly, so do they. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was holding them in my arms. Now, they are 10 and almost 12 and they already act like they are teenagers. I can only pray I'm ready for the seasons ahead of me. 

This has become one of my many prayers that I pray for them:

"Lord, I pray that my children will blossom like the springtime flowers, shine like the summer sun, warm the hearts of those around them, touch as many lives as there are autumn leaves and be prepared for life's cold winters as they put their faith in you & know that with you, they can get through the frost and it will pass like the melting snow. But most of all, that they would know you as their creator and live a purpose-filled life, storing up for themselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy."

I suppose this could be a prayer for all of us. We are all God's children and no matter what season of life we are in, He is with us.