One of my favorite things about the Lord is that He never changes. Everything in life is brings change, but not Him. He is the steadfast One who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Isn't that gracious and kind of Him? When we are grappling with days that are up and down, He is a trustworthy source of stability.
Sometimes the passing of seasons bring joy. When a Minnesota summer fades into Fall, my heart rejoices with every changing leaf. I love Fall! The cooler temps, the brilliant colors, the watercolor sunsets and a return to a school year routine, all things that are welcome in my book. But the transition from Fall to Winter?? Not quite so romantic.
My Mom always made an attempt to change things up in our home as the seasons changed outside. I loved the familiarity in knowing that the apple stuff would come out in September, the pumpkins in October and the snowmen in December. She had spring flowers in baskets and Easter wreaths on our front door. It may be just how God wired me, but I always loved knowing that another season was on it's way and no matter how much I loved (or hated) the current one, there wasn't much I could do to stop it. I am thankful for the little ways my Mom feathered her nest (and still does) from season to season.
It's something that I do too, no matter what the temperatures are outside. I suppose it helps me embrace the season we've been dealt and allows me to highlight the things about it that I love. Like pumpkins, and candles, and colors that are warm...
Some years I go all out, some years I don't. This year I didn't have much in me to do a lot of decorating, on the heels of all our remodeling I just couldn't bring myself to get more boxes out and turn things upside down, again. Although it's my favorite season, this year I kept it simple.
I got out the turkeys that my kids love...
...and we put out some of the gourds we chose at the pumpkin patch. I added a few little things here and there but basically that was it. Simple and sweet.
Some years I would have felt badly about my lack of effort, but this year, not so much. This year I am just praising God for His many blessings and taking the chance to be simple, to give away what I've got too much of, to keep the clutter at a minimum. I want to have these traditions with my kids, not so we're dependent on "decor" to make our seasons sweet but so we can take the time to embrace what we're walking through and celebrate where we can. Seasons come and go, some fly by and some drag on for what feels like an eternity, but in each case we always have the choice to be thankful and to celebrate something.
I'm thankful for this house of ours that has seasoned with us. We've learned so much here and have had many opportunities to celebrate and to mourn. Through each change the promise of a new day and a new season always awaits us and while I love that perspective, I also love knowing that there is ONE in my life who NEVER changes and NEVER leaves me wanting. And for that I am grateful!
No comments:
Post a Comment