Seasons of Love

By Sr. Sandy Howe

When reflecting on the change of seasons, I was reminded just how very important and what a gift and blessing each one is.  They all have their beauty.  For me personally my favorite is fall, it is a reminder of the great beauty this season brings with the beautiful colors of all the foliage, the abundance of leaves and the brisk and crisp air.  I truly feel God's presence in the beautiful fall days, but then I think of the next season to come, winter.  Winter too has is beauty and the presence of God in this season can also bring so much  so much beauty with snow, and ice but it also brings peace, and quiet, and awesomeness.

As with each season, the season comes to an end but new life comes.  The leaves fall, and the trees become bare, the winter snow and ice bring so much stillness; after winter comes the spring, so many new buds, new grass, a richness and beauty of simplicity coming to life.  And then we greet summer with the warmth of the sunshine,and beautiful luscious trees and flower beds.  

In our spiritual lives, we, too, pass through seasons.  Most of us tend to experience, winter, spring, summer and fall.  Sometimes, we have newness, new life, and the warmth of Christ as our center.  Maybe sometimes we encounter the coldness of our hearts, emptiness, or the dying to self to bring new life within ourselves.

We encounter our Advents, longing for the birth of Jesus, and our Lenten seasons which follow with the death and resurrection of Christ.  We have our times when we journey to Pentecost, and of course, we all experience "ordinary time."  In all of these seasons, Christ is present and here with us. 

Again I am reminded just how very important and what a gift and blessing each one of these spiritual experiences are in my life.  As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, may we all appreciate and give thanks to our God for all the seasons of our lives, and may the love we share with God and one another continue to be a blessings for all.