New Seasons of Beauty

Although I love the change of seasons with all the beauty of the fall colors, I experience a little sadness that the balmy summer with its long periods of daylight and warmth are coming to a close. I am also not thrilled about the coming cold with its shorter days and stark landscape. Having lived in Canada for many years, I appreciate the warmer clime of the Mid-Atlantic! So my consolation prize in the winter is in knowing that it won’t last six months! The coldest part of winter with mostly 20-30 degree weather usually lasts about six weeks, with an occasional warm period every couple of weeks to remind us that spring won’t be long in coming.

One of the beauties of living in Virginia Beach is that we still can have flowers blooming year round. So all is not so stark! The type of flowers we can grow varies based on the seasons.

Recently we just replaced the flowers in our flower boxes with pansies. I love their happy little faces and bright colors. It does something to my spirit to see them hanging in through the coldest days of winter, even peeking out through the occasional little snow blanket we may get.

It reminds me to be faithful through even the darker, drearier days of winter that may sometimes come in my life. There is always something bright and happy and that we can choose to be thankful for as we look around during those times.

These little bright spots give us hope for better days! I am always so happy when the daffodils come out and the signs of spring begin to stir with new life.

It’s also amazing to me the provision God makes in the winter for the birds and animals that depend on finding food to survive. I’ve been careful watching the pansies every day since we planted them to see when the squirrels will start nibbling on them for dinner. Since I recently had a salad with edible flowers, I realize how tasty those flowers can be! Last year it didn’t take long for them to finish the blooms right off! But this year, there was an abundance of acorns on our deck and in our yard. So I suspect they are still munching on those for the moment. (Yup! I just confirmed it with this photo I took a few minutes ago!)

Then there are the bright red camellias that will be coming out in the next month. It seems they begin to bloom in the dead of winter! How awesome is that! This will be the first year we’ll be expecting camellias to bloom in our garden, since we just planted a bush this year.

This month we also will be enjoying the beauty of reds and greens as we decorate for Christmas. The evergreen tree used for Christmas is a great symbol of our God’s everlasting love and faithfulness to us.

So no matter what season you’re experiencing in your life, remember that God has a purpose for it, it won’t last forever, and a different season is on its way! In the meantime, look for the beauty of God’s provision and blessings even through the darkest days!