By Marygrace Lomboy, CRNP
On this crisp autumn day in October, the leaves on the trees are turning beautiful shades of orange, red and yellow and I’m reminded of the seasons of our own lives.
Life keeps moving…seconds quickly go to minutes, then hours, to days, then weeks to months. The months then evolve into the seasons of our lives…
Some of the most quoted words of the Bible are from the Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, verse 1-8:
To everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under the sun.
A time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal …
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance …
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to lose and a time to seek;
a time to rend and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Upon reflecting this Bible verse, some of our life’s seasons are joyful and productive, where as other seasons may be sad and painful.
Those seasons of my life were I struggled the most, I can now reflect back and see that it was a time of great growth and learning. Each experience—whether it was a pleasant or incredibly challenging or sad—offered it’s own opportunity for me to transition into a truer and wiser part of myself. Through the most difficult of times, I had to reach deep down inside and really see what I was made of. What sustains me and what are the things that will lead me to a path to let go of the old and embrace the new.
Life is a continuous flow and nothing is static for very long. Unless we are willing to let go of the past—we cannot let go and grow in the present. Every season of life has a hidden gift—even if at the time we are in the transition, we may not recognize it.
As with the seasons of nature, life transitions cannot be rushed. They need to flow in through us and it takes time to accept and flow with it.
Here are some tips on dealing with the changing of life’s seasons:
Don’t rush into anything. Give yourself some adequate space and time for reflection and to be quiet. Truly feel the experience and listen to the little voice inside your head. It’s there for a reason…
Accept each day as it comes. At times, you may need to break down each hour or minute of each day to just get by. Allow yourself the grace to do that if needed.
Pray or meditate each day. This helps to center yourself and stabilizes the forces around you.
Keep a daily journal. Writing your thoughts, fears, hopes and dreams may be very cathartic and healing. It may also gives you the opportunity to see where you have been in the past and how you are growing in the changing seasons.
Reach out to friends, family, support groups or a counselor. Seek out positive people to be with who will lift you up and support you.
Take care of your health. Get enough sleep, take time to be outside to experience nature and the seasons.
Trust that God is there to hold your hand through the “eye of the storm,” and that His loving divine presence will be there for you to always lean on.