My hard-working, faithful, and loving dad had a pessimism that was often comical. Shortly after starting our summer vacation, he would soberly remark “Yeah, the days are getting shorter now,” at which my overly optimistic mom would sigh, “Ahh, Hank!!” Nothing like dropping a reality wet blanket on a child’s enthusiasm!
Of course, my dad was right about the length of daylight and, in his mind, he was merely stating a matter of fact. What he wasn’t recognizing was the excitement and energy in us from the change of season, especially freedom from school.
Personally, I love the change of seasons that bless and afflict us in the northeast. I bemoan the extremes, like three snowstorms in two weeks, or a 5-day heat wave, or a week of rain or unseasonably cold weather. Conversely, I love the first snowfall, if I don’t have to drive in it. I love the crisp cold air of winter, the cool arrival of autumn, and the warmth of the summer sun. I lived in Berkeley, California, where they have about 200 of our 10 best days of the year. I enjoyed those 200 days for a year but missed the change of seasons. Passing from one season to the next can often bring an energy, a sense of closure on a chapter of life, or a feeling of hope for the next chapter.
Lately it seems like our seasons have been more defined by things other than the changing time of sunset— coronavirus protocols, openings and closings, employment status, working from home or going into the office.
In the dead of this past winter, our church vestry was springing forth, doing the tedious groundwork of searching, selecting, and calling a new rector. Since then, we have met every month, with no summer hiatus, planting more seeds of organizational growth.
Although I’m here six months as your rector, it still feels refreshingly new, like spring, an extended spring. Much of this is attributed to your acceptance of me, and your boundless energy to make St. Brigid’s a more vibrant loving community. How can I not feel like it’s springtime with good things about to burst forth?
The changes of seasons for our spiritual lives are also not necessarily bound to the nature’s seasons. Our challenge is to recognize God’s presence in every season of our lives, and in every season of nature.
Oh, those poor people in Berkeley who are limited to two seasons!!