Layers and Seasons

Last time I looked, it was 10o outside.
Ten.
It is BRRRR-freaking-cold
here on this side of the Rockies.
To keep protected and warm,
we dress in layers:
thermal underwear,
long-sleeved shirt,
fleece coat,
then an outer shell.

Those layers hold the warmth
of our own bodies inside
and make it bearable to go outside
and do whatever it is
we gotta do,
and do it comfortably.

The older I get,
the more I realize
I need layers of a different kind:
I am a Wife to Mr. Wonderful,Momza to the Yahoos,
Sister, Friend, and all that...
but ALSO
I have layers too, that are outside
of those familial relationships.
Layers that add depth to my character
and add a protective padding to who I am
and the talents I have been sent here
to develop, refine and share for the benefit
of others,
which, truthfully,
benefits Me.
At the last birth I attended,
where the Momma thanked me
for being there--
well, I just soaked her kindness up
like rain into a parched Arizona desert.
My heart literally felt saturated and full
from the sincerity of her offerring
and added depth to my soul.
What a gift she gave me
by just expressing heartfelt gratitude
for my little service to her!


Another Layer for my own self.


Now, before you toss your designer apron in the trash
and run screaming outta the house
with your little ones wondering
"where's Mommy running to?"--
before you think about "finding yourself"--
hold on there.
Because I am in the Season of my life
where Layers
is a natural progression of things.
I am where I am
because of the earlier seasons in my life--
first I was a Wife,
and learned to accomodate another's needs
with my own,
then I became a Mother
and learned about Sacrifice
which came in the form of sleeplessness
and patience,
responsibility
compassion, hope and strength.
Being a Wife and Mother
was the training grounds,
or the First Layer
of character...
Deciding to be a Disciple of Christ
is at the core...
and without those two layers
the other layers
would have no foundation
or substance.

There IS a season to every thing
and a Purpose under heaven.
Just like the scriptures say,
and the older I get the more this is true.

What Layer you should be wearing
depends on which Season you are in...
but here's the thing:
You can't rush the Seasons.
NO matter how much I want it to be
Spring today,
It is still a January morning
and frost is on the ground.
There are moments of joy to be discovered
and relished in this Season.
Spring will come
 with it's rainy days and daffodils.
I can count on the innate Nature of the earth
to bring me another Spring.
It gives something to look forward to
on these winter days of sleeping trees
and snowflakes.
And in the heat of Summer
I'll have memories of my family snow-tubing
down white hills, the frosty ice kicking up
in my face
as we slide down those hills together.
It is a sweet season when you realize
you are where you're supposed to be,
doing what you're supposed to be doing
and not wishing you were somewhere else
doing something else.

Living in the Season
I find myself,
and adding layers
in their proper order
helps me create the woman
I want to be...
not a one dimensional shadow of Winter
but a full-on kalidescope of all the Seasons.

Okay, did that make any sense?