September 20, 2019

Perfect Timing

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As I walked out to my car to leave for work this morning, I noticed that my fall mums were beginning to bloom. I planted these in the ground several years ago, and they bloom fuller and more beautiful every year at this time. Driving away, I pondered how in the world those mums know to bloom at this exact time each and every year…with perfect timing.

Sure, I could Google it and find the technical answer..but I’m not going to. I know that it just happens when it is supposed to happen.

Seasons change, in weather and in life. Luckily, I live in a part of the country where we have four very distinct seasons. Even though I prefer spring and fall, there is something magical about each season. I’m not a fan of ice and cold, but I still feel excited about the beauty of that first snowfall each year. Summer is hot and miserable (in my opinion), but I love a refreshing dip in a pool on a hot summer day.

Seasons of life are a bit more difficult to embrace, but change is necessary for growth. With the passing of a beloved cousin this week, my thoughts keep drifting back to times when we were all together…times when I was younger and hadn’t experienced the pain of losing loved ones, and times that I took for granted.

As hard as it is, there is beauty to be found in each season of life.

People can perceive the seasons in their lives in any way they choose. These words are simply my own perception of my seasons.

The spring of my life- the early childhood years…growing, learning, and blooming. My parents were there to nurture me, surrounded by my extended family.

Summer was early adulthood, figuring out who I was and having a hell of a lot of fun doing it! Oh, I made a LOT of mistakes during that time..but still had those I loved to support me.

I feel that I’m in the autumn of my life right now. Settling in, maturing, and losing loved ones. As much as I love the fall season in regard to weather, this season is a rough one in life. Yet, there is still so much beauty. I choose to enjoy the beauty of fall while it lasts, and enjoy the vibrancy of the trees until the last leaf falls.

Winter is coming soon. Just as we prepare ourselves and brace for the winter storms, we prepare for the winter of our lives. I don’t plan to frantically hang on and hope winter never comes…I plan to embrace the beauty of winter just the same as the other seasons.

How does all of this even relate to my seasonal mums and their perfect timing? How do my rambling words tie together?

Life doesn’t always go as planned. Sometimes we lose people much too soon, before they are able to experience all of the seasons of life.

I read a book years ago, and refer back to it often. This book has helped me through the roughest times of my life. Written by someone with a “near death” experience, the author was actually technically “dead” for several minutes. She described the beauty and wonder of heaven, and the love. She reportedly did not want to come back to her body, because everything was perfect in what she assumed to be heaven. It was explained to her that she had to go back because she had not yet fulfilled her purpose for the earth. She learned that everyone is sent to earth with a purpose to fulfill. Sometimes that purpose is fulfilled quickly and time on earth is short..and sometimes it takes many, many years. Those left behind grieve, but it is all part of the plan..the perfect timing. Like a job that needs completed, when the work is finished you go home and move on to the next project.

One year my mums will not bloom, as nothing lasts forever. Life and death are all a part of the perfect timing. I will embrace life while I’m here and enjoy the moments until my purpose is fulfilled.