Changing Seasons

At the end of every summer, I get excited about the coming season of fall, my favorite season of all. I, like most Arkansans, love listening to football games while sitting at home with the windows open in a comfy sweatshirt and jeans. I love the smell of the leaves burning and the sight of the leaves falling. I like bonfires and cool weather. I like the early dark...but also welcome the early light in the spring....

So this year the changing of the weather seasons comes many more changes in my life. I usually find myself excited about the new fall fashion trends and love to treat myself to new clothes, even though I'm not going back to school! This year has been extreme for me in so many ways. I've never been more emotional in my life. I've never been happier, yet I've never cried more. I've never been more uncomfortable and yet, I hear, it will be the best pain ever. This winter I was not working and now 3 weeks before my baby comes I'm working full time. Some days have never been longer (especially during the sleepless nights), and other times, weeks flew by.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 says:

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

I've never been more excited about a season in my life. I'm newly married and madly in love with my husband. I love my job and coworkers. I feel good about our place in the community and the church. I have the most wonderful friends in the world. And, we are about to add a new member to our family, that we created (well, God created)! I mean, every time that I think of this, I am in awe...we made this? This is a part of me?

I'm happy to leave behind certain seasons and move into others. As much as I enjoy fall, I'm usually ready for winter with hopes of snow, holidays, big warm jackets, and fires in my fireplace. Then by the time I don't think I can handle another long cold night, it is time for spring. Flowers and bright colors and just the smell of life...all seem to come at exactly the right time.

So today, I'm just thankful and so overwhelmed at God's goodness in my life and all the blessings that I do not deserve! I wrote this blog several days ago but didn't post it. Tonight I was going to write about our "practice run" to the hospital this morning when I didn't feel Quincy move for over an hour. I re-read this and became even more grateful. Everything was fine, and the little toot started to move very soon after they put the monitor on me. I guess he was just slow waking up today. It was a rainy day, I understand. So, all is well...except I think that we failed our practice run. We took nothing, except ourselves and didn't call anyone til we were home, that did not go over well:)