Everything has a season

September 2022

“Everything has a season.” — Book of Ecclesiastes

What does this mean to you? For some, the scripture from Ecclesiastes comes to mind: “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” This can bring great comfort and it speaks to walking in faith about the future, here and beyond this lifetime. For others, it is a song, such as “Seasons of Love” or “Turn, Turn, Turn.” Either way, the message is the same in that everything we experience in this world is fleeting, a temporary gig, even when it doesn’t seem so, and even when we know some seasons return repeatedly. Others don’t.

How often do we really reflect on it and apply it to our own lives? For this writer, who often uses metaphor to make sense of things, knowing that something has a season helps me understand the brevity of it, and the purpose of ongoing change. However, there have been times in my life when I didn’t KNOW that something was “only for a season” until after it was over. Those are hard and painful lessons, and I am glad I didn’t know beforehand of the heartache to come. Had I known, would I have made difference choices, kept my heart protected, or acted any differently? Probably not, because I think that’s one of the keys to our journey of growth, in any season: open heart, willing feet.

In this field of work we do, there is a poignancy when a life is ending, a season finishing, and time and actions are precious. Every day, we encourage conversation and a review of a life well-lived. Dr. Alan Wolfelt, Director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition, says we sometimes have to say hello before we can say goodbye. That seems like good practice, regardless of what season we are referring to.

And as we know, grief is certainly a season, even as it softens over time.

What are your seasons? Is it your work, your faith, your football teams, your relationships? Do you think about whether they are one season only or enduring, beginning and ending again? Like me, does the advent of fall make you melancholy and hopeful at the same time, even as you know it will turn to a seeming bleakness of winter? For others, hibernation of the soul during this time IS the perfect season.

What are your rituals as you move from season to season? Are you intentional in how you think about them, celebrate, or mourn them?

Think about it. What are YOUR seasons?

Be Well …

Arkansas Hospice Employee Wellness Council (EWC) Keeping you Well – Mind, Body, & Spirit

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