Winter

According to reports the groundhog “Punxsutawney Phil” has seen his shadow and there will be an early spring. I admit I was excited to hear the news. Usually I am all for experiencing the fullness of each season. Over time I learned that each season teaches an important lesson in our lives. Summer brings fun in the sun, trips to the beach with your girls, family vacations, trip to Vegas with the boys, and opportunity to fly out the country and see the world. Fall brings reflection, the perfect 70 degree weather with the right touch of cool breeze. Fall is also a time to plant seeds and to be grateful for all that has come into your life. Spring is the season to reap the harvest of what has been sown. The hard work, sacrifice, and discipline you sown in your life will begin to bloom as blessings and opportunities. Yes, the spring season is a blessed time indeed. So what do we gain from the winter season? This is what spirit leads me to believe.

What winter calls for you to do is take a break from it all. The cold night air is telling us to go inside, relax for a while. Snuggle up on the couch alone and watch T.V. or read a good book. When was the last time you logged off your favorite social website and picked up a phone to call your cousin that lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan? What winter comes to teach us is to be still. Being busy does not equal being productive! Spend time in solitude and do the things that bring you joy such as listening to music, working on a scrap book, sewing, repairing something in your home, taking the time to meditate for at least five minutes. This world will throw you off your center! Waking up at 5am and getting home at 7pm, making sure your child gets to soccer practice, attending every party invite, being involved in 12 activities in church, I can go on and on! The Bible says there is nothing more precious than time. What you do with your time says what you value most. This is why winter is so special!

Since I resigned from my job last week I now look at how I spend each moment of my life. I value my time and what I do with it. My new job took so much of my time and energy I had nothing left for myself. I would take home lesson plans to work on, and enter observation notes into the computer every week. From the time I walked in the school building at 8 am I would run around making sure the class was set up and materials were in place. Then when the children went home I would start preparing for the next day, running around again. My goal was to have my weekend free of work and that lasted for about one week. I sat down to make a plan where I worked smarter not harder and I was criticized by management for not taking work home. The thing I reflect on is I asked God for that job! See, I thought being constantly challenged, being pushed to your limits, and making a high salary meant I was successful. I reasoned with myself saying much is given, much is required. When I would wake up to go to work I felt like throwing up, having anxiety attacks. This happened off and on for weeks. Then it started happening at work and I knew it was time to go! What the winter has taught me is I need peace and comfort. Stop pushing myself and be still. And from this moment forward that is what I will do!

We are all different. Being pushed to your limits may empower you, while for me, I shut down. Being still and listening to spirit is how we learn who we are. This is tough because some folks don’t want to hear the truth. Some folks have a difficult time dealing with self. Don’t be hard on yourself. Discovering our personal truth is where our healing lies. The truth, as painful as it can be is a loving reminder that we must have the courage to work on parts of ourselves that no longer serve us. Do not let these last few weeks of winter to be in vain. As parts of the U.S are hit with snow and others deal with frigid cold, take refuge inside. Take minutes or up to an hour out of the day just for you. Have a day you read with your child or let them pick an activity for you to do together. What you start now will be a lifelong habit of love, commitment to self and creating space for a loving partner! So before that early spring day, take the time to show gratitude for self and reflect on what winter has come to teach us all.