Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. It often means milder temperatures with less intense heat, while also holding the promise of cooler weather and holidays to come. The darkening of the leaves turns trees into natures compass. The north side turning red first, leaving the south side green and lush before they begin their ascent to the ground.
Mother Nature has a way of luring us into her loveliness even when we live in a place where she is constantly changing her look. Appreciating all of those seasons is no different than appreciating the moments with our children as they change their appearance and progress into a different season.
A friend recently shared a wonderful blog with me that talks about Carpe Diem and how she feels pressured to enjoy every moment of parenting while we all know that parenting is HARD. She feels as if people are telling her she’s doing it wrong if she isn’t enjoying every moment.
Just as I didn’t enjoy all of last winter in its intense glory, I’m forced to admit, I didn’t enjoy every moment of parenting. That’s hard to admit because I loved being a parent and I loved that I parented. We kept everyone alive and well and we seasoned many a change in our lives together.
There was that time though that someone got lost, a leg was broken, a heart was broken and there were swear words. There were those times that everyone was crying (me included) and I thought I couldn’t do it anymore. There was that time I was doing it alone and was sure I was doing it wrong. Things were constantly changing and I had so little control over it all.
Give yourself the grace today to let it go and embrace the north side of the tree that is moving toward a change while knowing that the green, lush side is in there somewhere and will emerge again. The leaves will fall, things will seem barren, then just before you know it, spring emerges and the promise of a new day begins.
But before that happens I hope you get to jump in some leaves while giving yourself a giant pat on the back for a job well done, whether or not you liked or enjoyed every moment.