Seasons Are a' Changin

I don't know why I am so surprised by the sights and smells that precede the change of the seasons. You know, that smell on the first real Spring day or that crisp, cool, clean feeling in the Fall. This past weekend it was like summer in Wisconsin. Humid and 80F. Summer was in the air.

But like most seasons in Wisconsin, change came literally overnight. A storm went through and the humidity and temperature dropped by thirty degrees. This and the message that I heard on Sunday at church, got me thinking. My life has gone through changes as well and they can be described best as life seasons. Going through these times is challenging and sometimes confusing. But going through them is normal for all of us. And that is okay.

I think that going through seasons is never more pronounced than in stay at home parents. Now, I don't know for sure, but I would argue that being a stay at home dad is not a normal change in life seasons but it is more like going through a hurricane season with 15 named storms. God just gave moms a certain heart for parenting that men do not have. Not that parenting is impossible for men. It's just that we need to work a little harder being at home full time.

This change in seasons all came about within the last year or so. My wife and I love to train and compete in triathlons in all distances. We did Ironman Wisconsin together in 2009 (we won't talk about who beat who) and created a bond that will last a lifetime. But somewhere in the process of our second adoption, I lost the desire to seriously train (as serious as I can be) and compete. I can't focus on swimming or running or biking.

While those activities are beneficial to keep my love handles in check, they are not my focus. I may come back to them someday in a change of season. And that is okay.

There is a change of seasons happening. Can you feel it?