Every Season Every Day

EVERY SEASON, EVERY DAY by Summerday
Graphics by Penny Parker

          The waters of my spirit mingle with the stream flowing beneath my feet.  The tears come not from sadness, but from thankfulness to the Creator for the miracles of each season, and each day.

SUMMER

          My visit to the Olympic National Park was filled with wonder as I experienced the beauty of the alpine meadows, the warm embrace of the hot springs, the awesome variation of the temperate rainforest, and the incredible power of the ocean.

          I was alone and not a seasoned hiker, but still the rope ladder and trail leading to the top of the cliff beckoned.  I thoroughly enjoyed the climb and the trail.  It was getting late and the tide was due to come in shortly, so I began my way down the cliff.  My feet slipped on the loose stones and I felt the first pangs of fear.  I quickly lowered my center of gravity and inched my way down on the fleshy part of my anatomy.  How did the way down become so incredibly difficult?  I was shaking by the time I reached the last part of the trail with the last rungs of the ladder in sight.  I felt my pocket …. my wallet was gone!  Panic enveloped me for I knew I did not have the strength to retrace my steps.  PLEASE HELP ME! 

I felt peace wash over me.  When I looked behind me, there was my wallet a few feet away.  Was I guided to touch my pocket at that time, or did an angel move my wallet?  I only know that I safely descended the last rungs of the ladder and looked up with tears of gratitude filling my heart.

AUTUMN

          I taught science to at risk teenagers. Oftentimes their way of dealing with problems was to verbally and physically abuse others.  It was my faith that I was making a difference that sustained me through the difficult times.  In order to share the wonders of science as well as the information, I developed a special extended learning program called THE RAINBOW TREE dedicated to discovering and sharing worlds within and around through stories that touch the heart, puzzles that challenge the mind, and activities that lead to understanding.  It is through this program that I believed I was truly making a difference.  However, my faith wavered with the apathy and resistance coupled with the printer discarding all the originals.  The waters of my spirit flowed out the windows of my soul as I questioned whether I was making any difference at all.  I looked up.  Above me was a cloud, the exact image of the Great Wind in The Rainbow Tree.  That cloud remained above me the entire journey between school and home.  Now, whenever my faith begins to waver, I remember the gift from above that said in an image more powerful than words, “Yes, you indeed make a difference.”

WINTER

          The snow was gently falling as I left the house to honor a promise to one of my students.  She lived in a residential treatment center, and a special activity was planned that she wanted me to be part of.  As I drove, the snowfall became increasingly intense.  By the time I was on the skyway, there were blizzard conditions with continual whiteouts.  My whole body was tense and my knuckles matched the landscape.  HELP ME, I cried out.  Miraculously directly in front of me red taillights appeared.  When the truck pulled off the road at the end of the skyway, I too pulled over and took the opportunity to ask how far he was going.  He asked me where I was headed and then simply said, “Follow me.”  I safely arrived at my destination and thanked him for his kindness.  I headed toward the building and then turned to wave one last goodbye.  That truck was nowhere in sight!  Chills ran through my body, and not from the temperature outside.    I bent my head in grateful thanksgiving for the protection of my Blizzard Angel.

SPRING

          Whenever I visited my dad in his mountain retreat, we walked the path through the forest located behind his home.  Sometimes we would share the events of our daily lives, or our hopes and dreams.  Other times we would walk silently, experiencing and sharing without words the wonders of creation… the music of the bubbling stream, the singing of the feathered ones, the gentle caress of the wind, the aroma of the flowers, and many more wonders as countless as the stars above.

          My father was fighting cancer for quite a while, until one day he could fight no more.  Oftentimes dad would say, “I have nothing to leave you, just my home.”  So, to be close to him as he lay dying in his hospital bed, and to honor his gift, I moved from my apartment close to work, to his mountain retreat, and made it my home.

          I never had the responsibilities that came from owning a home.  Either my landlord or my dad was there to solve any maintenance problems.  Now, I was alone and faced with several problems with nowhere to turn for help.  I felt so inadequate to the challenges, and the rooms, so filled with love and support before, now echoed with loneliness.  How could I ever make it without my father, my best friend?

          A cloud of sorrow enfolded me as I walked our path through the forest.  Then I saw what looked like a robed being with outstretched arms standing in the distance.  I was enfolded with a peace that “passeth all understanding” as I walked toward the figure.  I approached the spot and there stood the remains of a tree.  Knowing what the figure was did not lessen the feeling of peace and wonder.  For days afterwards, each time I walked that path the being was clearly visible and the feeling of peace and wonder always enveloped me.  Was the tree overshadowed by an angel, or was my heart opened to see another wonder along our path?

          My dad is no longer with me.  He is with my Heavenly Father.  But, every time I walk through the forest to the flowing stream, I am reminded of the love that flows to me from both my earthly and heavenly fathers, and that together their love and protection are with me every season, every day.