“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
The window is my most favorite gift I have given myself… ever. It has not only changed the view from our upstairs but changed the view from my heart as well. Simple praises pour through this dormer.
It sits right off of our school room, by my desk as I type this. I have a cozy, $7 ‘yard sale found’ love seat next to it so we can look out the window as we do school. I watch our weeds vegetable gardening growing as we go over Geometry or The Books of The Bible. I embrace squirrels harvesting acorns or chasing each other, birds preening, kids romping, or leaves dancing… The view is on the side of our home where it is private, quiet, and away from the road.
It is a teaching window; not just because of our homeschooling by it but because it is a great place to sit, think, be still, and see. This window teaches me that Spring is fleeting if you don’t notice the Extraordinary in the ordinary. It has reminded me that Summer is for building, Autumn is a time of change, and Winter is the time to buckle down and stay the course.
And storms, well, they come too.
As school starts back this month, with babies growing into young adults, my view is changing. I am scared to blink.
“And Summers and Winters scattered like splinters And four or five years slipped away.” Jimmy Buffet
Saying goodbye to summer is a good way to hide those memories in your heart; by recognizing them, naming them, and capturing them. Because what our hearts pay attention to is ultimately how we spend our days.
Autumn is a time for change. Part of me is excited to see what God holds in store for us this year. If I hold on too tightly with closed fists, I find they will not be open to receive His blessings. But I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t a bit scared too. For me, change is daunting.
Here are some views from my window…
Spring
“The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.” Bern Williams
Summer
“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Henry James
Fall
“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.” Albert Camus (French Novelist, 1913-1960)
Winter
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” Anne Bradstreet (British Poet, 1612-1672)
But I am learning, as with Autumn, when things change, it is ok.
Really.
All seasons have something to offer.
Napoleon Hill wrote, “In every adversity, there is the seed of an equal or greater benefit.”
For everything, there is a season. Turn, turn, turn.
Do you have a teaching window or a room with a view?
(Pause music top right)
