A Season For Everything

Things have been quite busy and hectic around me lately. There are soaps, lotions and lip balms to make, label, package and ship. All these things to do, plus writing two blogs, keeping my home fresh, husband smiling and learning the duties of my new assignment to The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild Board of Directors has me checking my To Do List quite often. In the midst of all this, preparing for our annual Thanksgiving trek to our family's home in Virginia didn't seem to be the treat it usually is. There is so much unfinished work to do and I guess I feel a little guilty about it. All in all, we had a great time and it was a wonderful break from work.

So why do I now find myself sitting at my window looking out at the changing colors of the big oak tree in front of my house? There are so many different and brilliant hues of red, orange, yellow and green. It's really pretty but too bad it will soon be bare of all those beautiful leaves. I again look at the beauty of it and then realize that it's actually shedding the old, resting for a season and then reviving itself again for yet another glorious season. And it keeps doing this year after year while at the same time making itself stronger.

Life is like that also. We have our busy times, our quiet times, our sorrowful times, our joyful times and times for renewal. We have to be like that oak tree and change gracefully with each season & time in our lives. We need to embrace each change as a way of gaining strength and endurance for the season ahead. Going with the flow and making a difference when we can, will go a long way in leaving that stress and burnout behind. There is a time for everything under the sun and we have to recognize that. Now that I've had my season of rest and a great lesson from looking at the big oak tree, I may as well get back to work.