Seasons...

This week my students will be learning about seasons and weather. Tonight as I dug out my snowman earrings, I smiled as I imagined my Kindergartner's reactions. As I snapped this picture and headed over to my computer I mused about the "seasons" in our lives.

There are times when it seems cold and dark and I feel as if whatever unpleasantness I am facing will never end. Other times remind me of the awaking of my garden in the spring. Nurturing and care is needed to make sure what I am hoping for comes to fruition. There are happy, "sunny" times and then there are times that remind me of fall.

Fall is a time of preparation. A time to get ready for winter. To tidy gardens. To begin thinking of traditions and tucking treats away for our loved ones. It is also a time when teachers work very hard at school, setting the tone for the rest of the year.

I love the falling leaves. I make wistful trips to Lowe's every couple weeks and I bring home a discounted perennial or perhaps a bag of spring bulbs. I know it won't be long until the garden center will be barren.

I am not a fan of winter. I do not like to wait for spring. I do not like icy roads. I do not like to acknowledge that I can not do as I wish. The truth is that each season brings its own blessings. Each time of our lives, lessons for us to learn. I have learned in the sunny times and in the dark ones as well.

I hope that as the seasons change, you are blessed with peace and joy in your heart. May your adventure each day be one that leaves you better in the end.

Today, as my husband and I sat talking about the coming holidays together, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the man I sat musing with... for the way we were brought back together... for the happiness our family now shares.

There are sunny times... there are cold times... there are times of nurturing and hope... Life is an adventure that brings us all some of each. May your heart and mine be open to the blessings this season brings.