For the last article of this year, I have come across an inspirational short story that I would like to share with you.
It reminds us that, like the seasons in nature, we change as we travel along our journey of life.
We all experience life through the filter of our perception and it encourages us to expand our awareness to see a deeper truth. Many aspects make us who we are, with our own individual life stories and experiences. Moving through the season of life provides us with many opportunities for growth, transformation and fulfillment.
The Seasons of Life
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no – it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree’s life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are – and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life – can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.
Don’t judge a life by one difficult season. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
~ Author unknown
May you move through difficulties with ease and discover the promise, beauty, fulfillment and joy that is available to you.
With gratitude and many blessings from my heart to yours,
Tanja
