Lately, seasons have been bringing me much comfort. 

There is something so uniquely gracious in seasons. I truly feel like the Lord created the year to be broken up into seasons  in order to serve as a beautiful reminder for our finite minds. 

It is so easy to feel stuck, to feel like the current circumstances are unending. 

Then, the wind gets chillier. The sun sets earlier. The leaves fall or the flowers bloom. 

To me, there is something so beautiful about the seasons. Depending on where you live, some seasons are more difficult than others. 

In the south, the summer feels unbearable. The twenty-four hour heat that leaves me indoors more than I’d ever care to be, creates a sort of seasonal blues. 

In the north, the winter feels grim and long. The short hours of sunlight and frigid temperatures might also create seasonal blues. 

But, you know one thing we can always be certain of? It comes to an end. 

The south will cool and the cooler, crisper days eventually come—usually just in time for Christmas. 

The north will warm and the longer, sunnier days eventually come—usually just in time for school to be out. 

It can be easy to ignore, or overlook, the lesson in the four seasons. But lately, I have seen the common grace and kind reminder from the Father in them. 

You see, in recent years, more especially as a mother, I have found that certain periods of time can seem unending. 

The sleepless nights that have lasted far past my daughter’s second birthday feel forever. 

The lack of consistent date nights because something with the kids, work, or adult responsibilities always seem to come up. 

The absence of strong community since uprooting and relocating to a new state seems like a long tunnel without a light at the end, despite how far you’ve been walking that road in pursuit of the goal. 

The tight monetary resources since prioritizing having me at home with the kids. 

The inability to focus on some of my own needs or desires because I am putting more energy into raising my children, can be a difficult sanctification process. 

Then, October arrives and I can feel the shift in the seasons—fall is coming and with it, the cooler days I crave. 

Quickly, I am reminded that, like the heat of summer and the struggle that comes with it, it eventually ends. Likewise, my difficult season of life or motherhood will end. 

The correlation between the four seasons and the seasons we experience in our lives has been such a beautiful dance in my mind. 

Not only have I seen the similarity in their short cyclical nature but also in the reality that, when I am intentional, I can find both the beauty and the difficulty in each season of the year. 

Fall is still warmer than I’d prefer but at least there is plenty of sunshine for those fun fall activities like the pumpkin patch and late evening walks. 

Spring is tornado season but the weather is wonderful and being outdoors in the midday is so satisfying. 

Winter is sometimes icy and prepping my home for freezing temperatures can be annoying but the coziness and potential for a white Christmas is quintessential.  

Summer has been the hardest for me. The triple digit temperatures that don’t let up in the evening truly try my patience. But, you know what….because we live where this heat is possible, I do not have to shovel snow or endure the darkness of the north in the winter months…I’m still working on this one, okay? Hehe

Therein lies the dance. As I practice seeing the beauty and difficulty in the four season of the year, and embracing the joy with the pain, I am practicing doing the same in my life and the seasons that come with it. 

I can better enjoy the extra snuggles and “I love you mommy”s that come with the difficult nights of little sleep. 

I can better enjoy date nights I do manage to squeeze in because absence has made the heart grow fonder. 

I can better enjoy the moments of fellowship with new friends and practice pursuing people since I truly long for their company. 

I can better enjoy the pleasures that money can buy since they are not always a luxury and saving for them makes them that much sweeter. 

I can better enjoy the long shower, extra hour of sleep, or solo coffee shop date to write because I don’t always have the freedom to do so and you can easily forget how blessed you are in even the smallest of ways. Imagine a day without hot water, rest or coffee…yikes!

All in all, I hope the next time you see the leaves turn shades of red & orange, the sun set around nine, the first snowfall, or the flowers bloom, you remember that no season—no matter how difficult—lasts forever and that if you look hard, you may just find some beauty there too.