Seasons

To say we've had an unusually winter is not an exaggeration. It hasn't gotten terribly cold, and most of the snowfall we received barely even stayed for longer than a few days. We've even had multiple Spring-like days in January and February! (...This is CANADA I'm talking about! Okay, Southern Ontario, farthest away from the northern parts of Canada, but still... all those stereotypes of polar bears and igloos are so funny to me. Haha.)

Now we've hit the month of March, which means 3 weeks until it's *officially* Spring! Wouldn't it be hilarious if we are suddenly assaulted by the worst snowstorms of the season?

In past winters, it seemed like Father Winter was not going down without a fight, lasting even until the end of April. This year it seemed as if Autumn lasted longer, and Spring has arrived earlier.

Oftentimes we use the natural seasons to type the physical and spiritual seasons in our own lives. We think of the winter season as symbolic of old age or the rough trials we might face in which we feel deserted, alone, and stagnant.

During the Winter season, nothing grows. Everything looks dead. There is beauty still, however, in the bright snow, and the abundance of it. To see this beauty you might have to leave the city, as in the city is where snow turns to slush, dirty and polluted, pushed and shovelled and manipulated into piles mixed with dirt and pebbles.

It's the same in your spiritual season. You might feel that there is no spiritual growth or maturity happening. You become blinded to any beauty that could be derived from your situation until you learn to shift your perspective, and metaphorically leave the city with its pollution and slush, and wander thoughtfully in the quiet woods where you can contemplate the unaltered, unmanipulated beauty of snow piled gently in wind-blown drifts, or hugging against tree trunks and branches. The quietness of the air, and the delicate puffs of breath meeting the cold. There is always something, no matter how small it is, to marvel about and thank God for.

The winter season is a time for hibernation. A time for rest, quietness and contemplation. If you live in a country where you experience all four seasons, you know without a doubt that the winter season is not everlasting. In due time, Spring comes again. Everything that laid dormant suddenly will spring back into life. There is growth and colour, and warmth.

Instead of allowing yourself to become weary in your winter season, instead remain hopeful. Use the season as an opportunity for self-reflection. I'm not talking about the natural Winter, but of those times you may come across trouble and fear and depression threaten to overcome you. Rise above them. The tough season is proof that something wonderful is going to follow.

Sometimes the winter season doesn't last long. Other times it seems to last forever. But Spring ALWAYS comes again.