Seasons change in our lives as well in our years. It happens fast as we get older, and we wake up to a new season we were not prepared for as we open our eyes.
Suddenly we look into the mirror and see a reflection we knew from long ago. A face that told us stories at bedtime gently brushed our hair and placed warm biscuits on the table to enjoy. How can this be?
The summer memories of the hot days and nighttime dreams of love, fun, and exciting times dance away. The fall brings the cool breeze and memories of days gone by as we face the cold winter. How did winter come so fast? I have many memories, but the aches I feel are a real reminder to me as seasons change, my days pass by more quickly.
A story I do not know the author of reminds me that the quality of our life matters more than the quantity of days. A life stretched across many seasons is wonderful if it is full of enriching the seasons for others.
The story goes like this:
There was a farmer who grew excellent quality wheat, and every season he won the award for the best grown in his county. One year a reporter from the local newspaper interviewed the farmer and learned that each Spring, the man shared his seed with his neighbors so that they could plant it in their fields.
“How can you afford to share your best wheat seed with your neighbors when they are entering their crops in the competition with yours?” the reporter asked
“Why that’s very simple,” the farmer explained. “The wind picks up pollen from the developing wheat and carries it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior wheat, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of all the wheat, including mine. If I am to grow good wheat, I must help my neighbors grow good wheat.”
The reporter realized how the farmer’s explanation also applied to peoples’ lives. Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. Those who choose to be happy must help others find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.
It is almost harvest time; another season has gone. As we learn from the stories shared, thoughts, ideas, and wisdom, what will we do? Another winter is ahead, a season for us to share. Let’s make the rest of the seasons more meaningful as we go. We are reflecting on the quality of life with the significant purpose of creating a positive difference in each day and moment in our lives and others. We can, we will, and we start today—life changes when we do. Positives occur when we focus on solutions, not problems. Joy is found when smiles greet the day; gratitude sees what is there and not what isn’t, and hope fills the space where doubt is pushed out.
