Seasons of Life

For so many years, I mean like over a decade, my winter season felt as if I was dead and I was just drifting from day to day, year to year, with no hope in sight of change.  I will die just existing in the doldrums of life.
Finally getting enough energy to walk through my counselor’s door years ago to hear her say that I was almost dead, was no surprise to me.  I felt dead.  It was a last-ditch effort to get my life back by trusting her, from the many hurts and pull myself out of the isolation I allowed to overtake me.
While it it did not come immediate, each session brought light to my dark mind of insecurities and struggles of placing one foot in front of the other.  So many times, I have been thankful that our bodies (my body) has the ability to maintain itself when we give up.  Meaning, the heart beats on its own and the lungs breath in and out without being told to.  Otherwise, I don’t think I would be here and at this time in my life.  I had no energy to make it happen.
As we go through the actual seasons each year, our lives do, too.  As my Pastor will say, if you are not in a trial now, you are either coming out of one or you will be going into one.  My thought to myself each time he said that was ‘just great’ in a sarcastic tone.   It does not matter who you are or what you do, we are not exempt of struggles and we all experience seasons in our lives.
Being reminded of the seasons today in a post that I read, I realized I am not in the dead-winter season, as I once was, which felt good to grasp and realize that changes have happened within me.
While not in the lively spring season or the flourishing summer but perhaps in the transititioning autumn season and I am okay with that.  At times I catch a glimpse of the others and I get excited.  Thank God I am not where I was!
My mind constantly reminding me though, knowing winter will come again.  Those thoughts are just the enemy to destroy any joy. With that, I have a choice of having fear hit my mind or I can praise the Lord of where I am and be joyful.  I choose the latter, it feels good to be alive.
No matter what season you or I may be in today or tomorrow, the Lord is still with you/us.  In the winter months, the root system grows deep and He is allowing that in each of us as it comes.  Trusting Him to strengthen our faith and trust in Him to help others do the same.

What’s Your Story?

Oftentimes I pass people or perhaps know them but never enough time to get to know them, but I often wonder who they really are.  What is their story, their testimony.  What  have they gone through to be where they are today.C9EC5D99-EFA1-469C-9555-5A9CCCDCA95A

A week or so ago, as I sat in my car eating a late lunch before my next appointment, I watched an older woman, dressed nice, carrying her black purse in one hand and walking with her silver aluminum cane in the other.

I was drawn to her because she was older but also walking toward a busy Mall Road where shoppers were whizzing by to get their last-minute gifts before Christmas.  Not a care in the world it seemed to her.

Vector drawing of a senior woman in a waiting.Being one to be concerned and now figuring out a direct route to get to her in case she fell, I was just amazed at her life in this twenty-minute vacation in my mind of her.

Finally, approaching the bench and turning to place her purse and her cane on the bench ever so carefully, she stood there.  Realizing she was waiting for a bus.  While one stopped, she signaled him to move on. I was intrigued even more.  Perhaps waiting for another bus.

Wondering where she went as she had no shopping bags.  What was her purpose to be on a busy road.

Part of me, if I had the time, I would have enjoyed going up to sit with her and just talk as we watched the cars pass.

Why was she walking alone on such a busy road? Where is her family?  Does she have family?

I just hope that as I age, I will be as independent and look as nice as she did.  No doubt she has been through some rough patches in life, had joy and plenty of sadness, too.

It was just nice to leave my issues and overwhelming thoughts of my life right then and dwell on hers for a bit.

What about you…

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Good Isolation

E0F55AC4-B2CE-4AB6-82AF-28767BC86EA7Lord, what is happening?

For years upon years, I had been so hurt, accused, lied about and lied to, betrayed, and it came to a point that I totally shut down, became a hermit, isolated myself besides going to work.

I had always been a strong, independent individual because I had to be but it came to a point, I doubted my very being.  Who am I?  Maybe I am bad and everything said about me was true, but I tried and did what I felt what was right in God’s eyes.  Realizing Satan was successful in his plan to isolate me, and I was too weak to fight.

I quit a lot of social events, made excuse after excuse of not attending church, changed jobs because of stress of the one and with that it was as if I was walking blindly into the new job, questioning that, too.  With that move, it was a God thing!

So many things started to line up and I felt I was getting stronger but needed a push, which was when I started with my counselor.  I did not make that decision in haste but with prayer, research of many and of her and more prayer.

DF52497E-40A8-4AD2-8244-DBDFA6DC6148As we discussed and as time went on, my isolation became less and it was nice to feel life once again. The door of the dark despair of isolation was opened.

Here I am again though but a different type of isolation.670EF6A5-2313-471C-A160-172493557C6F

Now, it seems like everyone is leaving me.  Two of my best friends moved out of state.  Now who am I going to meet for lunch or shop with?  My counselor took a leave of absence and may or may not return so I really feel lost, my office moves in an office area of being off the beaten path in a large building and seeing nobody for hours on end and not to forget, there are no windows.  Where is everyone?

56CB1D04-D5BC-4388-BC37-71CADB88EE5CLeaving work one night, yes at night because I am so alone in there and no windows, I lose track of time.  I realized I am yet again isolated.  It kind of stopped me in my tracks, questioning the Lord what is up with this.

I get a grip and my wings start to flutter from being in a cocoon for so long and yet I feel as though I am back in it, kicking and pushing through the emotions and fear but yet there is peace.

Sometimes I feel we are alone to put our focus totally on the Lord, and I understand that and I am doing just that although I fail.   What is the purpose of this aloneness and walking alone?  There a lost, blind feeling in my steps right now.

FBFA9104-AE45-4C8C-9E75-2E2D27F3F122Perhaps He is carrying me yet again.  I have to hope for just that as I did years ago.

I will not give up and if you are in this journey, too, don’t give up.  He knows who you are (I am) and He knows where you are (I am) going.   There is hope.  Trust Him.

Sometimes it is easier said than done.

Seasons of being alone and isolated can actually bring about a lot of spiritual growth.  I welcome that.