Sometimes it is the simple of things that provide for the greatest understanding.
Kris and I got away for a few days to a cooler place and a chance for some downtime. The gift of a weekend away from the realities of COVID, jobs that don’t allow for distancing, the relentless societal grief, political angst, and the worries that we carry for our own little place in the world. One of our joys was to venture off each day for a walk in the woods. It is there that I was reminded of the most basic of truths. Lying beside the trail in a sea of muted earth tones was a lone aspen leaf. An early and effective harbinger of the approaching change of seasons.
That little leaf is a reminder that seasons change when it is time. It matters not that we are in the midst of a global pandemic or that our nation is adrift in a sea of hate. Nor do the worries that we hold close with our families and friends matter, as none of these are the full story. That little aspen leaf was a reminder that seasons change when it is time and that each season is important. Seasons are important in the natural world and they are important in our lives. Viewed in this context, I can breathe again, knowing that all of this is a season. It will pass. New seasons will come, and they will pass too. Life is a constant ebb and flow of seasons.
I think I’ll just keep focusing on being light in a world that seems a bit dark, listening for truth, showing mercy, seeking justice, and building peace. All things that I need right now. All things that the world needs right now. Whether I am successful or not, I am reminded by a small, yellow, aspen leaf of a greater truth than what I experience each day.
Seasons change when it is time.
Jon Friesen Photography 