Seasons

Some of my children started school yesterday and the others will start tomorrow. My older girls attend Seminary at 6:00 am and catch the bus from the church. My other kids all catch the bus at the end of our lane at 6:40 am. This morning I noticed a definite chill in the air. After a long, hot, sweaty summer, it was invigorating to feel that cool air which signals that fall is close at hand. When the rabbit brush turns yellow, we know that the first frost of the fall will arrive in about two weeks.

I love fall. Though I enjoy swimming and warm weather, I'm always ready for the cooler weather. I love to drive up to the La Plata mountains and view the vibrant colors that paint the mountainside. I love to walk along the river and hear the burbling water as it slips over the rocks on its way to the sea. Even the air smells differently in the fall.

I grew up on the coast of California where the weather was mild all year long. I remember one year, we actually had some "snow" fall and we all left school to play in the minuscule amount that lightly dusted the area. Other than that, I spent most of my life wearing a light sweater in the winter and a bathing suit in the summer. When I moved to Utah, the seasons definitely changed and it shocked me. I couldn't understand why the snow stayed on the ground for so long and why I had to wear a hat, gloves, and a winter coat most of the winter. I didn't enjoy it much.

Now that I live in Colorado, I've come to appreciate the changing seasons. I look forward to each season because each one brings something a little different than the last. I know that fall will bring beautiful arrays of yellows, golds, and reds. Winter will bring soft, clean snow and clear night skies with stars so brilliant it's hard to imagine that Heavenly Father actually counts each one. The spring will bring new life as plants and animals are born, while the summer will bring fresh vegetables, warm weather, and longer days.

I believe that the seasons are a pattern. We all go through seasons in our lives, each one bringing something just a bit different from the last. We're children and depend on our parents to teach us and love us. Then, it's time to leave and venture out on our own. After a bit of time, we settle down, maybe have a family and spend a season working and raising a family. After what seems like a short time, we again enter another season as our children begin to leave our home to venture out on their own and we're left scratching our heads wondering how that season passed so quickly. At some point, we enter the time when we no longer have children at home, and even a time when we might be alone.

Heavenly Father has designed each of the seasons of our lives for us to find joy. Just as each season of the year is a bit different, we can find peace and happiness in each season of our lives and enjoy every season with which we're blessed.