My Favorite Season

by | May 22, 2015 | Life & Faith | 4 comments

Golden Gardens Seattle    j.l. collins
Seattle view   j.l. collins

A soaring wide-winged bird circles the lemon colored trees on the horizon.

My eyes are drawn to the sight of flat-bottomed clouds stacked in the far off blue sky.

I’d much rather swoon over the bursting expanse of creation in my view, but paying attention to the road as the asphalt blurs by me like so much water takes some effort.
Plying the freeway as I head home in the afternoon sun is the task at hand.

Although I’m grateful for this explosion of life after the months of steel gray sticks against sullen skies, I’m beginning to change my mind about my favorite season--I think it might be winter.

The problem with all this chlorophyll-filled greenery exploding everywhere is it covers up the framework that holds it all in place.

There would be no bright beauty burgeoning the long limbs without all these very strong trunks and branches supporting life.

Its as if the leaves are like so much fluff and finery, unnecessarily adorning the bark-covered bones, the source of strength that holds them in place.

My life feels a bit like that–too much of too much–every spare moment is filled with Doing Something.

Not bad things, just more things…. that don’t really add to my life.

My heart and soul long for openness–open skies and open land, starting in my own backyard.

My life looks like my gardening bed….too crowded– and all I can think about is weeding out the unnecessaries to make room for the needful.

To leave some space to see better and hear better what my Heavenly Father is saying and doing.

Strike that–not weeding out (weeds are undesirable, invasive) but thinning out.
Making room for growth by pulling up all that crowds it out.

I’ll take the Spring and Summer….but really, Winter is my favorite season.

I can see so much better.

~~~~~~~

Several weeks ago when I wrote this I had no idea how it would fit with a prompt from Laura Lynn Brown at Makes You Mom. 
She suggested a blogging link up fashioned around following the chapters in the book
May 22nd marks the beginning of the blogging project, linked to Chapter 1–
‘Assessing the Situation’.  The above is my assessment.
I am not ALL THAT busy, really, but long for more white space in my life. 
So I’m in.
You can read more about the book, the blogging plan 
and the chapters here. Join us?

4 Comments

  1. Nancy, the 'hibernating' part is also another reason I like winter, especially if there's a fire in the fireplace!
    Glad to inspire….

    Reply
  2. I'm thinking winter is my favorite season also. Perhaps it's because we lived in Florida for so long, where winter is a season in name only! This year I SO enjoyed the quiet, cozy hibernating that allowed for a little more down time. As for springtime weeding? Oh, yes. I need to clean out some unnecessary junk and make more room for what is needful, too. Loved your extended metaphor, Jody!

    Reply
  3. Ah, Tresta…and doesn't the push back get harder each year? There's just so much coming our way, I need to continue to be mindful of what feeds my soul, as you said.
    Thanks for reading.

    Reply
  4. I'm with you in many ways, Jody, though I think spring is my favorite. I love the idea of thinning out what doesn't feed us and making room for what is needful. Thanks for putting words to this!

    Reply

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