
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. — Reinhold Niebuhr

“Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want.” — Kristin Armstrong
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The changing seasons are regularly occurring transitions. They happen every year — four times. Yet each transitions is different, with each season having it’s own unique blessings and challenges.
As I get older I find myself more and more in tune with the changing seasons. Perhaps when I was younger I thought I was too busy to listen to messages from our mother the earth, or maybe I thought doing so would make me seem weird. As you get older, being weird doesn’t matter as much.
While I love Spring and Summer with clear days and lots of time spent outside by the lake, I have to admit that Fall and Winter are more productive. As the temperatures cool and my thoughts turn to naps and nice bowls of piping hot homemade soup I also feel my mind and body start to calm down and get ready to receive inspiration and to work.
Winter is the time much of my art gets created. For me preparation for winter includes not only winterizing the house and car, stocking the pantry and getting out the winter clothes. My winter preparations would not be complete without stocking up on art supplies.
Listen to the wisdom of the changing seasons. This is mother earth’s way of preparing us for what lies ahead. We already know what we need to weather the upcoming changes. We just have to listen. These regular transitions can help prepare us for the unexpected ones if we just let tthem.

“Everything has seasons, and we have to be able to recognize when something’s time has passed and be able to move into the next season. Everything that is alive requires pruning as well, which is a great metaphor for endings.” —Henry Cloud
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You may be familiar with these words from the beautiful poetry of the third chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. Or perhaps you are more familiar with the musical setting by Pete Seegar known as Turn, Turn, Turn or popular renditions by Judy Collins or The Byrds.

“I believe in process. I believe in four seasons. I believe that winter’s tough, but spring’s coming. I believe that there’s a growing season. And I think that you realize that in life, you grow. You get better.”
—Steve Southerland
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