There is a season

Ibis on the Rainbow River

Earlier this month, on a trip to Florida, I was reminded that seasons in fact do occur everywhere, but not at the same time or with the same vigor.  That holds true for nature as well as for life’s seasons. 

azalea - Inverness, Florida

azalea - Inverness, Florida

red bud tree, Cedar Key, Florida

In early March, in rural Florida, many of the spring blooms have already come and gone, with a few azaleas remaining and lots of white dogwood and red bud trees in full bloom.  Azaleas  bloom in Northern Virginia in early May when home is just a glorious place to be.  How fortunate I am to have seen them once and to know they are coming again soon.

Cedar Key, Florida

There is no good season for a curmudgeon! 

Enormous alligator on the Withlacoochee River

Life’s seasons come and go, sometimes mild and others stormy and full of sadness or peppered with bolts of lightening. Two friends, both beautiful daughters, lost parents who hadn’t seen quite enough seasons and will be greatly missed.  A Florida relative is facing invasive breast cancer.  Friends are ending difficult marriages and others struggle with unemployment.  On a more positive note, blessings abound - from finding employment to births and recoveries.

Sandhill cranes

Paynes Prairie Preserve, Florida (a flock of sandhill cranes is barely visible in the grass)

Cedar Key, Florida

My own season of unemployment is ending temporarily as I take on a three-month full-time assignment, the most consistent work I have had in two years.  I am very grateful for this spring surprise and am hopeful it is an indication of more to come.

Cear Key, Florida

A real town in Florida where they grow...

...potatoes.  Spuds, Florida

Now is a beautiful time in Northern Virginia.  Daffodils, hyacinths and other bulbs are bursting and many of the trees have begun flowering.  

I am reminded of Pete Seeger’s song, “Turn, Turn, Turn,” written in the 60’s using The Bible’s powerful words from Ecclesiastes 3.  I loved that song, performed by many but most notably by Judy Collins, Seeger himself and The Byrds.  Ignorant that I was, I remember hearing the minister read it in church and wondering why he changed the words to the song.

A blue heron shows his annoyance by shaking his backside

Blue heron (on post) waits for a handout on the Rainbow River

Enjoy this season and may these words from Ecclesiastes serve as a special gift with extra meaning just for you.           

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8