Seasons: Stepping Into Life
By Donna L. Lemons
A recent trip to Charleston to reconnect with my daughter ended my COVID-19 isolation with an exclamation point. We walked, talked, and ate in and around her neighborhood. We also took a wonderful daytrip to Savannah. Our travel there was to eat at The Grey, a restaurant serving delicious local cuisine. It is located in an old Greyhound bus station. Their award-winning executive chef, Mashama Bailey, is featured on an episode of “Chef’s Table” on Netflix. She was cooking at The Grey the day we went. We had the opportunity to meet her, and she was delightful. The weekend was special because of the memory making with my daughter. It refreshed my lifelong season of mothering my grown child. What joy and happiness she brings me!
This experience has reminded me of the seasons we walk through in life and how we manage them. There are seasons where we reframe what is important, what brings meaning, and what instills passion for living each new day. The roles we live out with our families, friends, colleagues, and those with whom we connect help us grow and move through these seasons.
My work seasons have varied over the years. After college I served as a missionary/math teacher in Uruguay for two years. I have been a librarian, a homeschool mom for five years, a math instructor in high school and then community college, and I am now a CPA at BRC. I have been blessed to meet and engage with wonderful people in all of these roles in many seasons. BRC has provided a place for me once again to find myself doing work I love, working with incredibly gifted professional people, and knowing each day ahead will bring fulfillment to my life.
Transitioning from one season to another, one role to another, may or may not be something we want to step into. Signs of a new season are usually indicated by our feelings of being unsettled by surrounding circumstances. We can get stuck where we are. We might wake up one day realizing the world around us has moved on. Sometimes life’s rules change. What we knew no longer exists or has changed to something where we no longer fit. We come to understand that we must change. We need to step into a new season, either in location, job, position or simply in our attitude. Making mindfulness part of all of our seasons can help keep us wholistically healthy.
How have you come through the COVID-19 season? My hope is that you are allowing time for reflection. It is a good time to breathe, physically and mentally. Be intentional in making memories with those most important to you. Look for evidence of goodness all over your life. It’s the only one you have. Be grateful. Step into this next season of your good life.
