Seasons of life

There is a sigh of relief as we learn that Tropical Cyclone Alessia has left Australia’s Top End capital, leaving behind little damage. The formation and movement of Alessia reminds us that we have moved into the Wet Season once more. There are many who would rather not experience the Build-Up or the Wet Season and they may leave the Top End for more appealing climates in other parts of Australia at this time of year.

The stark seasonal change brings into the awareness of the locals once more, the potential occurrence of tropical cyclones, fierce weather and heavy rainfall with possible flooding. But as we notice the abundant new growth in the plant life and experience the cooling effects of darker skies and lower temperatures, we welcome the wonderful benefits of a season that can also be violent.

Why all this talk about the weather?

The concept of the weather and the seasons is often applied to our lives. In terms of the four seasons of temperate zones: there are times of  new birth and growth in our lives, as with the plants in Springtime; there are times when we feel that we are living in the sunshine and beaming with happiness, as in the sunny brightness of Summertime; we also have times of being quieter and of letting go, similar to the trees  in Autumn; and we experience moments when our lives are bleak and cold, with the need to retreat from our usual endeavours, as it is in the Winter season.

Noticing the dramatic changes that occur with the weather and the vast differences that the seasons bring can help us to see the value of all of our experiences, whether they are ones that we welcome or ones we wish we didn’t have to deal with. We are further reminded of the significance of all of our experiences – positive, negative or neutral, as we may interpret them – with the biblical poem that states there is a time for everything:

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,  a time for war and a time for peace.

            Ecclesiastes (New International Version)

Like the seasons, all of our experiences, whether they be pleasant or difficult, remain significant in the unfolding of our lives.