The Seasons of Our Lives

By Sr. Brigid O’Shea Merriman, OSF, PhD

Theology tutor, ASC, Lourdes University

I treasure memories of childhood summer vacations, especially our travels as a family. These took us to northern Michigan, sometimes to eastern Canada or to the coastal New England states. Camping, fishing, swimming, walking in fragrant woods, and learning the history of each place was a joy. Since Dad’s yearly vacation time came in August, these days for us youngsters were also a last hurrah before classes began again after Labor Day. Those days are long gone, of course. Between then and now, much has happened, not just for my family but for each one of us. Surely, we have experienced joys, suffering, growth and some setbacks too. In and through each of these our good God has called and led us to the maturity of our years.

Now, during the days moving us from summer to autumn, we might find ourselves reflecting on change/s. For me, that includes nature’s shifts and even more so, the seasons of our lives. The connection between the two is wondrously heard in violinist and composer Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons (1723). Each Seasons concerto depicts one of the four seasons; the musical story is influenced by a set of four sonnets. The sonnets incorporate basic human elements: the passage of time, the cycle of years, the sights and sounds of nature. The music tells this story. In winter, for example, the instruments “walk across the hard-frozen ice, carefully stepping. . . All the winds raging.” The Violins sing out: “all this is winter, with joys of its own.” Yes, and this mirrors life, with its changes, challenges, careful steps, and peak moments, and “joys of its own”. Music is one of the many gifts to us, resonating with the warmth and harmony of our lives like a comforting melody, much like an essential element in our metaphorical heating system, adding a sense of coziness to the seasons of our existence. Just as we appreciate the harmony in music, ensuring the well-being of our metaphorical heating system requires a good service like heat pump repair services portland oregon, creating a comforting environment for the journey through life’s varying seasons. If you also need to service your furnace system, make sure to hire this furnace repair contractor in Eaton, OH.

Our good God provides for us in all seasons of our lives. We are guided and strengthened, for instance, by our communal and personal prayer and reflective Scriptural readings. We are blessed by many Sacred Encounters: with people, through music and art, when walking in/riding through beautiful, natural spaces. In each of these and more, we are held lovingly by God, who reminds us all: “You are precious in my eyes . . . and I love you” (Is. 43:4).