New Seasons

A New Season: Beginnings and Endings


The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.—Anonymous

There are new changes on the horizon of our family. The wind has shifted and one season exits and another is blowing in.

I am trying to wrap my heart and mind around these changes, but find the emotion of it all washing over me like a wave rolling on the shores. I know with a family our size that nothing can stay the same and we are bound to go through many shifts and transformation. You would think as a mother of six I would be used to this, but in this season of my life, I am having some mini-melt-downs at the very thought.

Once upon a time, this house we live in was full of chatter and activity. When one has four daughters and two sons, the house thunders with sound. The bathrooms were always full, floors always wet and towels always being washed. Empty cartons of food tumbled over full trash cans and Televisions in almost every room competed with the different taste of the viewers. Our kitchen table was used for family dinners, game playing, homework and the dreaded “family meetings.”

Our home was always full of several different age groups of children and their friends, cats, dogs, hamsters, fish and guinea pigs. I was used to the volume; I loved the chatter, not so much the mess. Our home was full of lots of love.

One by one each child grew and asserted their independence. One by one they each tentatively stepped a foot outside the boundaries of our safe home, venturing out and creating their own lives. It was never, ever easy for me to witness. Often I would succumb to tears as the thought of my child, the child that had grown in me and around me left our home. I would be overcome with a feeling of loss, worry and pride for each of them. I was never able to physically help them pack, but often would help in the setting up of their new homes.

I am reminded of that song of childhood; “One little, two little, three little Indians…..” One by one they flew from the nest and struck out on their own. I have been present at each graduation with teary eyes and a heart full of love. I have witnessed weddings and births.

The door to our home has always remained open and at one time or another, each one has returned for a season.  Several times the came to gather strength and comfort. Once they got steady on their feet each would take another deep breath and head back out into the jungle of our world.

Our oldest daughter did just that almost two years ago bringing her two children home to heal, rest and gather strength to head back out. It is never easy to move back home, I understand that. Personalities sometimes bat at each other, struggles, conflicts all happen as we go from mothering to stepping back and allowing our children to figure things out. She has recently set out with her children again on her own. We are happy for her and support her choice, yet we miss them. Our home has grown quieter. I pray daily that God will bless them and strengthen her family.

Our second oldest daughter has recently announced she has taken a new job on the West Coast, thousands of miles away. So at the end of this month, she, her husband and two small boys will set out on a new adventure. I am reminded of the pioneers, our ancestors who settled out west and panned for gold. She will be working for a mining company who does just that. She will face many hardships, but like the ancestors of days long past, she and her family will survive and learn new things. They will settle in and do well. I have faith in that, just as I have faith that God is in the works.

Our third daughter took on a new job this year, one that requires longer hours and much patience as she attends the ailing. We juggle time together to work around her schedule and God surely is using her talents to care of those who need compassion. I am so proud of her.

Our youngest daughter has faced many health problems, a new job and a new promotion. Our time together is precious; my worries over her swallow me up some days. Like all of my children, I am amazed at her strength, but fight this constant urge to pull her home, and mother her into good health. My heart aches that she has to suffer through her ailments and pray God would heal her.

Our oldest son is getting married this year. He already has a beautiful family and now will seal his commitment with his charming wife. We are so happy for them and I find myself emotion filled at the little boy I met 19 some years ago. I did not give birth to this son, but have loved him as my own. He is going through many new changes with a possible position change at work. My prayers are steady and sure for him

“Now there is one….”

The baby, our son, will graduate in just a few weeks. Where did the time go? I pause writing this as I read back to the start. Was it not just yesterday I watched our oldest receiving her diploma? Where has time gone?

I remember at her ceremony, sitting at the very top of the bleachers with my husband gazing down to the floor chairs as elderly people walked in to take seats. I recall the joke I made back then. “One day Hun, that will be us when Daniel graduates.”

Here we are we have come full circle. From our oldest child to our youngest graduating, where did time go?

Our youngest is head strong, knows what he wants and is so impatient to get there. My advices to him…”slow down….enjoy the ride.” One day he will look back just as I am this Mother’s Day morning and wonder; “Where did time go?”

In a flash, before we know it, it happens. Seasons come and seasons go; we move from one to another without pausing long enough to enjoy, cherishing the now of the moment. In the Spring of our lives, we are so impatient with getting to Summer. We never realize how quickly each season passes.

The buds of Spring, the start of life is so precious, so busy as we are filled with growing and watching the growth. We are overwhelmed with the beauty of this season and excited to see the blooms turn into the lovely flowers.

The summer is upon us and everything is in full bloom. We are so busy tending the blooms we often sit still in the garden of our life to enjoy the lovely fragrance. We are constantly looking ahead to the next chore, the next weeding time and worrying over the next season.

Autumn of life rushes at us and we are dazzled about the beauty before our eyes. So lovely is this season with the brilliant colors of growth that we become sad at the thoughts of the leaves falling from our sight. We are soon surrounded by the crunch of life beneath our feet and we sprint to catch them before they fall. We are overwhelmed with the emotion of this season. The buds have now opened and are shedding to begin life anew on their own.

Winter brings its own spectacular season and we become stuck here in isolation. We are mesmerized by the stark whiteness in this moment that blinds us. We stand alone, waiting for spring to begin. It is in the coldness of this season we start dreaming of days gone by, chances missed, and times of the past that fortify us for the future. We store up memories of the past and treasure them. We now realize the beauty of each and every season and only wish we could have enjoyed each moment.

As I face this season of change, the Autumn and Winter of my life, I realize how precious this gifts have been. Each child has brought me so much in their very different ways. Each child was a gift from God. I feel as if I missed some of the season because I was so busy preparing for the next.

If I could impart one gift to each of my children it would be to tell them to live in the moment. Treasure the past and all that brought them into this season, but stand still long enough to enjoy what you have. As I watch from close by as each of you step out into your own season, I say a prayer and tearfully but with pride, watch you grow. I love you.

Teresa Gale
May 13, 2012