“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22)
I enjoy most things about the changing of seasons. I will admit that because I live in a region of the US that gets pretty hot during the summer months, my least favorite seasonal transition is the one from spring to summer. What can I say? I’m a wimp after 90 degrees. My most favorite seasonal change is from summer to fall. When those nighttime temperatures finally start to have a touch of coolness, and when we can start opening windows to let a comfortable cross draft through the house, I feel as if I’ve “survived” another hot summer and I have a new lease on life. I actually get a little depressed during our summers because we are in the house a lot with the blinds shut in order to keep the indoor temps a little cooler and those monthly energy bills a little lower. However, there are some good things about summer. School is out, long awaited summer vacations are finally happening, neighborhood kids are having a blast in someone’s pool or with water balloons, and the toons of the ice cream truck bring excited squeals to the little ones who can’t wait to order a cool refreshment.
Depending on who you ask, seasonal preference is a relative thing. And there are pros and cons to all seasons. My husband came from Colorado and his depressing season growing up was winter because it was so cold, often gloomy, and the trees and landscape were bare. Much of his days during winter were spent inside. But he also has good memories of snow days when school was canceled and the neighborhood kids would meet to go sledding down a local snowy hill, or to ice skate on their frozen pond. Good and bad, pros and cons.
The seasons of life are much like the seasons of nature. Some are full of light, life, happiness, activity, energy, strength, and good memories. Others, however, are seasons of darkness, depression, loss, illness, anxiety, stagnancy, and times that we wish would be over sooner rather than later. I am in one of my favorite life seasons so far–being a grandparent! My husband and I are affectionately known as Papa and Mimi, and hearing our grandbabies excitedly shout out those names just warms our hearts! I had been told by others who had reached grandparenthood before us about how wonderful it was, and now I get it! We can love on, play with, cuddle, and just enjoy time with these babies without the responsibility of disciplining and other tasks associated with being their primary caregivers (parents). The perspective of raising the kids is so much different as a grandparent. I am more relaxed now, more patient, more aware of what certain behaviors mean. It’s like when you’re too close to a picture and you have to zoom out to get a better idea of what you’re looking at. I am “zoomed out” as it were, as a grandma, and I do believe as a mom I was just too close sometimes and too tired to see clearly or to appreciate all the precious and amazing things my kids were displaying.
So, on the one side of this fabulous season is the enjoyment of experiencing life through the eyes of little ones…soft, precious, new lives bringing breaths of fresh air to the family! But, like the seasons of nature when life and death are constantly cycling, so too is this happening in my current season. New grandbabies on the one hand but aging and more fragile parents on the other. Beauty and wonder mixed with sadness and reminiscing. I’m very thankful that both my mom and dad are still alive. My husband lost his father about 7 years ago and now is learning how to relate to his mother who is suffering from dementia. It has been a strange mix of emotions for both of us, seeing the ones who for all these years represented the pillars of the family slowly decline physically and mentally, to a point where they are beginning to need OUR help. It’s a season of roles changing–the ones who offered years of caregiving are needing more and more care from us. They still desire independence, of course, but can no longer fight the aging and weakening of these earthly bodies and minds. We’ve seen the awful effects of dementia, turning a sweet, quiet, compliant person into a paranoid, frail, confused and scared woman who is no longer able to be left alone. Aging is unavoidable but often not a pretty process. My mother has had an illness for many years. Her level of physical abilities has varied, but in the last two years she has become 95% immobile, which is why I am so thankful that my dad is here and able to assist her. He has his own share of physical issues that make being a caregiver even more difficult.
I saw a process that ALL our parents have gone through and that is from able to not able. It was hard to watch. And it has been hard and humbling for them to realize they can no longer take part in family events like they used to, they cannot perform as many physical tasks like before, and when the mind finally gives in to the body saying, “No more,” a more significant transformation takes place. It seems to speed up the aging. Thus, the sadness for me. I have come to the realization that one season is leaving soon, and another is just starting. My husband and I talk about how to best help our parents these days…unfortunately they live in different states. But the Lord tells us to honor them, and it is our desire to do that until He takes them home. Watching them has also helped me to understand the importance of respecting our elders, of being patient with them, of being carefully and respectfully mindful that they are aging, and more forgetful, but that doesn’t mean they are any less valuable or desirous of participating. The reason these things are important to note is because we are not that far behind! And you know what? There is a joy that comes with serving our parents, the ones who served us all their lives. Unfortunately, I feel this attitude is almost lost anymore.
Anyway, friends, about seasons–here’s what I’ve learned, they come and go, they are filled with good and bad, but one thing is certain, they are unstoppable and not always predictable. A little advice…don’t dwell on the bad, I do believe there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. Enjoy the priceless moments, like the times with family and friends, when everyone is smiling, laughing, and yes, even crying together. Serve one another with humility and thankfulness that you have the ability to help someone who maybe is unable to help themselves. And finally, go to God for strength when the season seems unbearable.