Seasons

NOTE: We will be going on a pilgrimage in October to Rome and Assisi, Italy. We’re happy to take your prayer intentions along with us. For more information, or to submit your request, click here.

I read “The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans this summer and loved it. I’ve always been a fan of the written word, but this book reinforced my belief in the importance of writing as a means of communication. (I highly recommend it.)

The main character, Sybil, is in her early seventies and often reminisces about her life as she corresponds with various people. From that perspective, it’s easier to see patterns and seasons, similar to chapters in a book. We can look back and recognize the events that shaped us and the changes that transformed our story. It got me thinking about the various seasons of my own life: childhood, high school, early marriage, life on the dairy, etc.

But then I stopped and considered my life in terms of one year. If I’m a newborn in January and dying in December, where am I on the calendar right now? My immediate response was September, but then I realized that’s probably because it’s my favorite month of the year. After some thinking, I’ve decided I’m firmly planted in August.

For me, August signifies the end of the frantic busyness of summer and a return to order and ritual. It’s meant “back-to-school” for so long, and that was always a good time for me, when purpose and focus were restored. In August, it’s easy to say goodbye to the free-for-all chaos of summer and reset.

I like thinking of this season of my life that way. I’ve lived enough to know what matters to me, and I still have things I want to learn, places I want to go, and people I want to spend more time with. There’s something hopeful about having a little experience behind me and a fresh sense of purpose ahead.

Whatever month we find ourselves in, there is still something to look forward to and something worth beginning. We can appreciate the seasons that brought us here while making room for what comes next. As for me, I’m going to enjoy my August. There’s still plenty of daylight left.

Maybe you’re in the middle of a busy June, or perhaps you’ve settled into a quieter November. Whatever month feels like yours, I hope you find something to love about it. We can’t turn the calendar back, but we can decide how we spend the days in front of us. As for me, I’m embracing August with a grateful heart and a renewed sense of purpose. There’s still time to grow, still room for joy, and still plenty of life to live.