Recognizing the changing seasons in your life can often cause you to pause and ponder. Change is sometimes brought about by our own doing, but more often than not change is brought about by situations that are beyond our control. As I think about my well-being today, I am very aware of the changes around me. My change has been caused by the seasons of change in other people’s lives. Recently, my mother went to live in an assisted living community where she is surrounded by good people who think she’s sweet and loves her presence. They make sure that her daily needs are met, that she interacts with others and does not retreat to her room (not likely to happen since my mother is a busybody) and that she is in a genuine place of contentment. This gives me great peace, but it also marks the end of an era. I have somewhat relinquished my role of caregiver and returned to being a daughter. But I also realize that the things that were a part of my normal routine in life will no longer exist. For instance, I can no longer just call my mother late at night to chat because I know that she is awake. I can no longer just drop by for a visit. I can no longer call and in the spur of the moment pick her up for a cheap dinner and some ice cream. But, I can not dwell on the “I can’t” statements, but I can look at what I can do. I can still call my mother at a reasonable hour and have someone give her the phone. I can schedule visits and still laugh at her silly ways. I can take treats and watch her bite into some chocolate and look around to make sure no one is looking. This is not because she can’t have a treat; it is because she has no intention of sharing. All of this is a part of new navigation into a different season for both of us.
Change is not limited to immediate family; it sometimes strikes in areas we take for granted. For example, my care providers have been wonderful in making sure that I got whatever treatment was necessary to restore me to good health. They were readily available if I needed a refill at the pharmacy or a quick phone consult. Somehow if the provider is well-liked, we think that they will be around to take care of us forever. Isn’t it interesting how they become an integral part of our lives, and yet we never see them as human beings with their own seasons of change? Recently, my favorite nurse practitioner decided to retire. Keep in mind this nurse practitioner has been in the business for over forty years. However, the announcement of her retirement did not thrill me, and if the truth be told I felt some kind of way. Pause. Do I have a right to feel a little betrayed because someone else has a season of change? Am I a bit angry because this is a change that will disrupt my life? Do I feel saddened that I have taken the services of this professional for granted without showing gratitude? Does my attitude reflect self-centeredness? As I reflect upon this situation, I discover that change in any season requires reflection in our ways, faith in our God, and obedience to His Word.
Nothing can cause reflection on seasons of change like the thoughts of mortality, the frailty of life, or the disruption of normalcy. I give thought to friends who have been diagnosed with auto-immune diseases, leukemia, blood disorders, heart conditions, and cancer. And in their seasons, I am reminded that there is no promise of a life without change or struggle. James says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” With the assault of COVID-19, more people have died than we could have ever imagined, and through it all, life did not pause or cease to exist. People were still united in marriage; new life was ushered into the world; diseases still attacked healthy minds and bodies, and we continued to maintain some semblance of normalcy. There are times when I question whether “now” is the new normal. However, no matter how many times my seasons of change occur, the one constant is that the Lord never changes. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
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