Tag Archives: seasons

D U S K

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Dusk…such a wonderful, simple word. Just four letters and one syllable. Rhymes with rust, and rather appears like the color for a brief moment. That’s the thing about dusk; it’s fleeting. So is everything in life: seasons, days, relationships, romances, feelings, happiness, joy, special occassions, memories, et cetera.

To say life is fleeting reminds me of an old time kerosene lantern. During our youth, the wick is extended and the light burns brightly. As we age, the wick gets turned down and the light dims. But before the light is extingushed, there is a dusky hue about us that is pleasing. This has nothing to do with staying active, but mostly about attitudes and perceptions. Some may describe this change in our countenance as a season of wisdom.

Certainly, there are a select few who are wise beyond their years, but being a sage requires time; time filled with trials and grief, loss and confusion. Acheivements, rewards, momentous occassions and fond memories balance out the effects of aging wisely. Such are the days of dusk. Whether we are rapidly approaching this time, cannot even image it, or have passed it, one thing is for certain…dusk is colorful as are our souls.

L U S H

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Lush…the one word which sounds as rich as its meaning. “Lussshhh”…growing luxuriantly. Also, very rich and providing great sensory pleasure.

With relentless pressing, Spring births the effulgent offering of natural drama. A drama which never gets old, but actually becomes more precious with time. As I witness the scintillating wonder of new growth, from seed-to-leaf or sprig-to-flower, I am easily transported to the simple discoveries I made as a child.

Never without a question, I always wanted to (and still do) know “Why is this…?” or “What’s that for?”. No longer a child, I wonder if my curiosity is morphing into apathy. I quickly respond that I am still amazed at “all things bright and beautiful”, as James Harriot noted in the title of one of his books. Therefore, I am happy to announce that my spirit is not being quenched with age nor will it ever be. I concede that the body will break down and the mind may suffer attrition, but the spirit, the soul, will not be rendered obsolete. And, it should never be treated as such (applies to all people).

Kauffman Memorial Garden, Kansas City, MO

Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” transforms a composition of orchestral music into a sensual masterpiece. Each season is represented by a unique and sublime expression from every instrument the great composer has under his direction. The result is mesmerizing as the listener is taken on a journey through time. I liken nature’s annual rhythms with man’s breadth of life, just as Vivaldi correlated music with the four seasons. The final season being just as marvelous as the first.

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City, MO

Change

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It is wonderful to witness a pair of Mallards move along a pond as if ice skating…so smooth. Even more so when they are paired with their hens. The other hen is just right of this photograph. I tried to capture all four of them, but they became leary of my presence and divided a bit.

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A short walk on a very windy Fall day revealed that the season is definitely changing from Summer to Autumn.

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The old and the new somehow gel together. This old silo has witnessed many of harvests, but it only sees housing sub-divisions built around it these days. It seems to be inevitable that fallow days are numbered. We all need energy, but is the best way to acquire it?

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Prairie grass still stands tall, but only for a short while. Soon, blue grass lawns and residential housing will take over this parcel of land..what used to be grazing fields, ponds, and hedge trees.

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Grateful for electricity. Looking forward to other viable sources for energy in the future.

Verdant

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Spring is such a vivacious season with verdant grasslands and forests. Along with this season of hope comes the longing to explore, to go outside and seek beyond what we think we know to be there. Or, we simply become invigorated with what we are familiar with, but only witness quarterly. This is true if we live in a climate where there are four seasons.For the longest time I have considered Autumn to be my favorite season, but when Spring arrives I fall in love with her energy, colors and aromas. Can we have more than one favorite season?

Depending on where one lives, Summer may be all we know such as in the Amazon Basin of Brazil. On the other hand, if one lived in the southern Chilean Andes, all we would know are the wonders of winter-like conditions supplemented with a short period of semi-warmth. Or, consider the vast Sahara desert with thousands of square miles of sand. In these areas of the world, seasons aren’t considered quite the same.

However, the world I know enjoys multiple seasons, and each season has it’s own appeal, as does each geographic profile; be it desert or arctic landscape, mountain or rain forest, plain or rolling hills. They all teem with stimulating life and beauty. The key is in the seeking to discover, for it is only then do we really notice what God has given us via his creation. I haven’t even mentioned the oceans or the skies!

My wish is that this season…this month…this day, may reveal something new and remarkable to you. As you walk the pathway of this season of your life, be encouraged, for there is beauty even among the dreariest of circumstances and environments. Seek.