I stumbled upon a lovely online article a few weeks ago by writer Linda Albert describing a fiery maple tree in full fall glory, unusually glazed in several inches of snow. Not having lived around much snow, I couldn’t even imagine what that looked like. Linda responded to an email and graciously shared her images (see below). 

Not often do we get a visual of what two seasons look like simultaneously. This breathtaking maple dressed in both red and white overwhelmed me with wonder, joy and intrigue. I felt encouraged to consider season changes in our relationships, work, passions, family dynamics, etc. in the same way.

For most of us, change doesn’t always elicit wonder, joy and intrigue. The straddling of seasons can be incredibly emotional and awkward. We might experience painful stretching and uncertainty, in addition to whatever positives a new season brings. There may be sadness about something ending in addition to a degree of anxiousness about what is to come. Rarely do I experience change as a double gifting, as inviting as this maple.

When I look at this beautiful maple, gracefully balancing fall and winter on its branches, I’m reminded that both the ending and the beginning of new seasons can offer beauty worth noticing, if we’re looking for it.

 
For today, what beauty can we find in a season that’s ending in our lives as we also contemplate the beauty of one that has just begun? How can we see their overlap with wonder, joy and intrigue?

 

In newly difficult situations, it might be too early to see anything wonderful about them at all, but I challenge each one of us to hold out hope that gifts will emerge, even when an upcoming season isn’t what we had imagined for ourselves. 

Some of the best gifts can only be seen looking in our rear view mirrors. Hindsight is 20/20, right? Well guess, what? 2020 is almost here. And so are more gifts for each one of us if our eyes and hands are open to the unexpected. Cheers to more fiery, red-leafed maples dancing in the snow (and us doing our own little dances in change too).

 

***I did offer a Cyber Monday special yesterday for those who want to purchase FTG books as gifts and want them signed and/or personalized. I'll leave it open until this evening in case you missed it. View the details and the shopping link here.