The Season's of my Life

A while ago a young child asked me, "what season are you in?"

"What an interesting question," I replied."Can I think about it for awhile?"

"Yes," she answered, "tell me tomorrow."

It took me a few tomorrows to ponder my answer. 

A week later, I found her sitting by the window drawing.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to answer your question. I had to do quite a bit of thinking.

I am now in autumn."

"Why?"

I knew she would want a reason.

"In Spring we are born. It is the time when all of nature comes to life.

In Summer we are children, the world is filled with adventure, abandonment and the pure joy of living. We stay in childhood for a long time."

"How long?" she wanted to know.

"Until we find ourselves," I replied.

"Do we get lost?"

"Not really but we are looking for our purpose."

"Then what happens?"

"Next we move to Autumn. The time of harvest."

"Are we vegetables," she wondered.

This made me laugh,

"No, but it is a time for us to reap. We begin our careers after years of schooling, many of us fall in love, get married, and have children, just like you. We raise our families and we celebrate."

"What happens next?"

"Then comes Winter. The season of rest. The time to remember the joys, the trials, the sacrifices and glory of our lives, our seasons."

"But in Winter,everything dies," she whispered.

"Yes, that's true. But we hope that our Winter will be long."

She gave me a hug and returned to drawing a picture of me in the Autumn of my life.

I watched her as she colored in the leaves that had fallen from the trees that surrounded me.

"I hope you stay in Autumn forever," she said as she smiled and handed me the picture.

"Thank you, " I replied hugging her.

"And may your Summer be equally as long!"

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