seasons of life

We are in the middle of summer, since January I have been waiting for this time of the year. The sun shines for long hours, the flowers give off their aroma and delight us with their color, the birds sing very early, and the garden is full of food. Wouldn't be great if it were summer forever?

This week talking to my husband I was telling him – summer feels like I've been eagerly climbing a hill to get to the top and enjoy the view for a long time; but when I am about to get there, I have lost all interest, now I just want to arrive and roll down the hill. I no longer care how beautiful the view from the top might be.

Lately I've been thinking about seasons of life. They are very similar to the seasons of the year, they are so subtle and at the same time so fast, when you least expect it, you are already in another season.

This year I will be closing another decade in my life, Lord willing! Changes are happening in our family; I can't believe our baby is starting preschool. The other day I bought a set of books for him that was the same set I used with his older sister who is almost a teenager now. Seeing the books once again brought back many memories and melancholy, there will probably never be another preschooler in this house. There are no diapers here anymore and for the first time in a long time I can get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep most nights. Before I longed for a moment of silence, today sometimes I feel strange when I find myself in silence. If I want or need to, I can go out alone without having to worry about a little one crying because mommy is not home.

Now I just have to learn to adjust to my new reality, more activities outside the home, spending more time in the car driving kids from one place to another, buying and cooking much more food than before, among many other things. My life is still in summer; in the constant struggle to get things done. Like in Summer working hard to have a good fall harvest that will sustain us during winter.

Do you know what I mean? Maybe if you lived on a farm like me, it would be easier for you to understand. The reason why I want to roll down the hill in the middle of summer is because as usual every year my mower breaks down, the bugs are in full swing, animals destroy my plats, sometimes there is drought, other times a lot of rain which means there are more weeds than the plants that I actually planted. Even so, there is still more produce than I can use and who has time to cook when there are so many things to do in the garden. Also, isn't it summer a time for parties and fun? and please do not forget that it is time to start school, that is if we want to go on vacation in the fall and finish the school year early in the spring before it is time to plant the garden again and have time to enjoy all the baby animals that will be born in the farm.

So dear readers, summer is not the time to give up. It is time to work hard with the fruit that we want to harvest in mind. Let's keep watering, fertilizing, protecting those relationships with our family. Let us remember those little olive trees that sit at our table (Psalm 128:3) that will one day bear fruit. Trees grow slowly and need a lot of care until their roots are fully established and able to bear fruit. In particular, olive trees take a minimum of three years to produce their first fruits and even then, it will only be a handful of fruit. To produce a gallon of oil you need between 50 to 200 pounds of olives.

INTERRUPTION:

-Mommy Petunia escaped!-

Excuse me, without further adieu at the moment, I need to go chase the future mommy of our bacon.

I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

Solomon, the wisest man that ever existed, inspired by God.

Safe and sound back to your place.