SEASONS OF LIFE
Our life, like the earth, is divided into seasons.
First, there is the Spring
The time to be born, to grow, to learn,
to let our roots become strong
To be nurtured to be fed with love and compassion.
But into this season some rain must fall,
to teach us to appreciate the kiss of sunshine or the warmth of a hug.
Then comes our Summer
Our season to grow strong,
to multiply, become independent of others around us, but still,
feed from the roots so firmly set in our spring time.
The time to spread the seeds of compassion and love that were planted in us in our Spring
But into this season some rain must fall,
to teach us to appreciate the kiss of sunshine or the warmth of a hug.
Then comes the Fall
Our season to ripen, to become mellow and hopefully wiser.
Our season to look back and see our mistakes,
but also to hope we learned from them.
And, as the rain falls, we have learned to accept it.
To let it cleanse and nourish us so we are prepared for Winter
Winter brings us the wisdom to accept what happened in the other seasons of our life,
because we cannot change it.
The hope that we did the best we could,
with the ability and the knowledge that we had at the time.
Winter brings us to the time when we pray we have been all we could be.
And we realize that, regardless, we cannot change the past.
We accept this.
And in this season when the rains are cold and heavy,
we accept them.
Knowing that, like the other seasons,
this one serves its purpose,
and it too, shall pass.
-Poem by Evelyn Aradiap