Enjoy this excerpt from the February issue of The Family Forum newsletter. 

I have been very impacted by the seasons lately.  Not the weather seasons, but the seasons of life and the seasons of love.

My sons are growing up.  There are no more preschoolers in the house.  I have conversations with my oldest son that leave me with more questions, more to discover, more to figure out.  My younger son doesn’t need much help with daily tasks and plays very well on his own.  I even get about an hour of quiet time in the mornings to read my Bible, pray and jot down a few thoughts.  It’s a whole new   season in life.  Bittersweet.  Often I miss having young ones in the house.  It is a constant choice to hold onto the good memories from the last season and let them carry me into anticipation for this new season of motherhood.

Josh and I have been married more than a decade.  I remember vividly the man who waited for me, wearing a kilt, his long curly hair in a ponytail, as I walked down the aisle to him on our wedding day.  That man has changed, grown, learned and matured.  He has seasoned.  And so have I.  I am not the same woman I was then.  But sometimes when we laugh or share a glance, I know those two newlyweds still exist, they always will.  Our love has changed, grown, learned and matured.  Our love has seasoned.

Seasons mean change, and they can’t be stopped.  As surely as winter comes, so spring will  follow, then summer, then fall, then before you know it another winter.  This might encourage you if you are living through a hard season.  Knowing that this season won’t last forever may be a great comfort to you.  Or this might bring sorrow.  You might be living in the best season of your life.  Knowing that this  season won’t last forever may bring you anxiety or concern.

No matter what the season, whether hard or easy, happy or sad, grab hold of all you can from this time, knowing another   season is on its way.

Be encouraged as YOU season.