My season of winter
What Season of Life Are You In?
This past weekend, I attended a women's retreat, and one of the things we talked about was the different seasons we go through in life.
It really got me thinking.
We often compare the seasons of our lives to the seasons of nature.
Autumn is a time of change, letting go, and transition.
Winter represents the harder, quieter seasons. The waiting. The unanswered prayers. The times when we feel stuck and wonder what's next.
Spring brings new beginnings, renewed faith, hope, and new chapters.
Summer is a season of growth and fruitfulness. Raising families, serving others, building careers, and enjoying the abundance of life.
As I sat there reflecting on my own life, I realized something.
I think I'm in winter. And if I'm being completely truthful, I feel like I've been here for a long time.
Perhaps it's my age. Perhaps it's all the transitions I'm going through. Or perhaps it's simply that I'm in a season of waiting, with prayers that seem to go unanswered.
And I think there's still a little autumn lingering too, as I try to let go of the life I've known and embrace the one I'm hoping to create.
I've experienced so many beautiful spring and summer seasons.
Raising my daughters. Watching my family grow. Serving in different capacities. Building friendships. Being needed. Experiencing the excitement of new beginnings, births, and rebirths.
Life was full.
It was busy, sometimes overwhelming, and certainly not without pain. There was divorce, illness, heartache, and plenty of challenges along the way.
But there was also so much joy.
And through it all, those seasons helped shape me into the person I am today.
So now, in my 60s, I find myself wondering why I'm still in this autumn/winter season.
Shouldn't this be the time when life becomes a little easier?
The time when I can sit back, enjoy the fruits of my labour, and experience the peace and tranquility I've spent so many years working toward?
Apparently, life doesn't always follow the calendar we have planned for it. 😂
Transitions are hard.
The empty nest. Retirement. Moving. Letting go of careers, roles, and identities that have defined us for decades.
Even when we choose those changes, and even when we know they can bring something wonderful, the journey can be painful.
And that's where I find myself.
After 25 years of building a career in real estate, I'm trying to transition into something completely different.
Writing. Wellness. Creating.
Things I love. Things that bring me joy.
But also things that leave me wondering, Am I really qualified to do this? Will anyone be interested in what I have to offer? Can I actually make this work?
I've spent more than a year creating a health and wellness course that I've poured my heart into. I pray that it will reach women who need encouragement to take better care of themselves.
I write because I love it, but I also pray that something I write might touch someone's heart, bring a smile to their face, or help them feel a little less alone.
And then I wait.
And sometimes, the silence feels deafening.
There are other parts of winter that linger too.
The grief of losing both my mom and dad. The longing to remember them with joy without having tears come so quickly.
I know grief doesn't follow a timetable. But some days I wish it did.
And perhaps the hardest part of this particular season is that it hasn't just begun.
I've been wanting to make these changes for years.
I've been preparing, learning, creating, and praying.
And yet, I still feel like I'm waiting for something to happen.
Waiting for the next chapter to begin, even though I've already started writing it.
Maybe that's what winter feels like.
We can't always see what's happening beneath the surface.
When we look outside in the middle of winter, everything can appear lifeless. The trees are bare, the ground is frozen, and nothing seems to be growing.
But beneath the snow, life hasn't stopped.
It's resting. It's preparing. And when the time is right, something new will emerge.
I find comfort in that thought.
I also find comfort in believing that God is still at work, even when I can't see what He's doing.
And I trust that spring will come again.
So what does all this have to do with Wellness Wednesday?
Everything, actually.
Wellness isn't just about what we eat, how much we exercise, or whether we're getting enough sleep.
It's also about our emotional and spiritual well-being.
It's about acknowledging where we are in life instead of constantly comparing ourselves to where we think we should be.
It's about giving ourselves permission to grieve what we've lost, celebrate what we've experienced, and hold on to hope for what's still ahead.
And maybe it's also about learning that we don't have to rush through every difficult season just to get to the next one.
There may be things worth discovering right where we are.
I don't have all the answers. And I certainly haven't mastered the art of waiting. 😂
But I'm learning.
Learning to appreciate the blessings that are already around me, even while I'm hoping and praying for something more.
Learning that being in a season of waiting doesn't mean my life is standing still.
And learning that perhaps peace isn't something waiting for me at the end of this transition.
Perhaps it's something I need to learn to embrace right here, in the middle of it.
So this Wellness Wednesday, I'd love to ask you something.
What season of life are you in right now?
Are you enjoying the abundance of summer? Experiencing the excitement of a new spring? Letting go of something in autumn? Or quietly waiting for winter to pass?
Whatever season you're in, I hope you can find something beautiful in it.
Because every season has a purpose.
And even in winter, there is still life. ❤️
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