I Applied For a New Passport

Given my current situation, which most people that have been reading my blog know, this action on my part might seem a bit odd. And maybe it is. I haven't needed a passport since Carol, our son, and I went to Korea exactly 13 years ago to visit our daughter and her husband, who was stationed over there.

she had a blast

Two months after Carol's dementia diagnosis in 2016, I took her to Niagara Falls (on her bucket list) and New England. We did walk over into Canada one of the days we were there but it didn't require a passport going in either direction. (This was before Canada was our 51st state.) I've not left the country in almost 9 years. It's an accomplishment now if I leave the house.

Rainbow Bridge US-Canada

You may have noticed the title of this blog does not say "I renewed my passport." That's because you only have up to 5 years after your 10 year passport expires to renew it. I've waited too long. I had to walk into a Post Office like I was getting my very first passport. (My expired passport was adequate proof of my citizenship though... my birth certificate was unnecessary.) By the way, why do so many cities' main US Post Office buildings feel like you are stepping back in time to 1979 when you enter? Except for the computers and electronic payment stuff they have at each station and no FBI pictures of the Unabomber on the wall, it still looks and feels like a bygone era in there. That said, the guy that handled my application could not have been any nicer. It was a painless experience.

So, sometime before college football season resumes, I should see a new passport come in the mail.

So then what?

I don't know.

I'm not sure that I can really articulate this. For me, the passport represents something. Sure, it documents that I am a citizen of the United States of America. And that's a pretty big deal. But, it is more than that. A valid US passport represents the freedom to travel to foreign lands and to be welcomed back on return. It says, no matter where I go, I can return home.

But, even more important than that, it is the idea of being able to go in the first place that is invigorating to my soul. (cue Mel Gibson shouting, "FREEDOM!")

The season that I am in right now is not a season of "go." It's not a season of getting out into the world and enjoying what it has to offer. This current season says, "stay." And it is with genuine cheerfulness and a profound sense of purpose that I do that because it is the right and necessary thing to do. And I do it because of love. I do confess though that I have to instruct the wanderlust creature inside of me to settle down... and wait. But it's often like I have a pestering back seat passenger nagging me with refrains of, "are we there yet?" I'm truly confessing here.

There will be a new season one day and I really don't know what that season will look like. I mean, how could I? I simultaneously yearn for it and absolutely dread the thought of it. That's an acutely strange place to be.

I don't know what tomorrow holds so I surely don't know what the next season does. My hands are full with today. But, whatever comes next, I probably shouldn't stagger into it as if I'm a deer staring into headlights. That's why I need my precious blue and gold permission slip that whispers, "it's OK... if you feel you need to go... then go." 

One day.

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Seasons

When you see the word seasons, my guess is that your immediate thought goes to the seasons that the earth experiences due to its axis tilt and orbit around the sun... winter solstice, spring equinox, summer solstice and autumn equinox. Most of us have a favorite season. And it seems that no matter which season we are in, we get tired of it and want the next season to arrive. Spring is beautiful but... I'm ready for the beach and swimming. Autumn is great but enough already... let's get on with winter so that we can see some snow and go skiing. We never seem to be satisfied.

But there are a host of other things that exist for a period of time that can best be described as a season:

College football season, prom season, pollen season, bow season (deer hunting,) mating season, peak travel season, bathing suit season, ski season, baseball season, flu season... I think you get my drift. 

The bible also mentions seasons. One passage in particular can be found in the Book of Ecclesiastes. In Chapter 3:1-8 it says (in the King James translation:)

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which was planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

Tradition holds that Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon, however, many commentators and historians suggest a different author. Regardless of which very wise person wrote it, you must acknowledge the obvious truth found in those 8 verses. We don't necessarily like all the truths found in those words because they describe contrasting realities; some that we like, some that we don't.

We enjoy the seasons of life that go in accordance to our wishes, desires, and plans. We enjoy, more than others, certain seasons of our children's childhoods. People say things like, "enjoy this phase of their life because, before you know it, they will be grown."

In our careers we experience seasons... seasons of growth and promotion, seasons of raises and being an influencer, seasons of being highly valued and impactful. But, after enough time, things can change and not necessarily for the better.

A friend and I were sorta talking about this topic the other day. We are both old guys but remember when our opinions and influence in a certain domain were respected and requested. But now it is no longer our time to be the influencers, change makers, or decision-makers. That time has now passed to another generation of influencers and decision-makers... as it should be. And we need to be OK with that. A time to influence and a time to be influenced.

(I'm the bald one)

An interesting (at least to me) coincidence occurred in the last two days. I was looking on my old laptop yesterday for a Word document and, in doing so, came across a letter I had written in November 2012 to our then senior pastor. In it, I acknowledged the many changes that our church was wrestling with and the dissatisfaction with the way things were that I sensed was swirling around. I was the worship leader in our contemporary service at the time and had been in that role for 7 years. I had prayed and been sensing that it might be time for me to step aside and let someone else take over the duties of worship leader. So I offered to resign. My sense was obviously correct as my resignation was immediately accepted. I did agree to stay on until a new worship leader could be found, which took until April 2015 to accomplish. The coincidence was that today, a Facebook Memory from 9 years ago popped up that showed pictures of me and the praise team from my last Sunday leading worship... April 22, 2015. My role leading worship was meant to only be for a season... not forever. A time to lead and a time to be led.

But, our instincts are to hold on for dear life to all the things we want not to change. We lament, "why can't things be like they used to be?" Or, in contrast, "when will this miserable time come to an end?"

Because, as the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us so eloquently and directly, life is a continual series of seasons and change. Some of those come back around and repeat like the earth's seasonal cycles (although never exactly the same.) But some seasons have a start and they have an end, never to be repeated. Some of those seasons will be the kinds we wish for while others will be seasons that we wish would just stop.

But we need to try to see God at work in all our seasons... seasons of great joy and seasons of lament and difficulty. Because He is there with us in all of them and there is something He desires to teach us through all our seasons. Even if it is just reminding us that He loves us and has everything under control.

To every thing there is a season.

And in the words of Pete Seeger: turn, turn, turn.

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To everything there is a season

If you are a child of the 60's, you remember the 1965 Byrds hit song Turn, Turn, Turn. (click for song on YouTube) The lyrics are straight from the Bible...the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 3:1-8. And while the passage and song are not primarily about the "seasons"...as in Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall (all you have to do is call and I'll be there yeah yeah yeah....oops that's a different song from James Taylor ) I mentioned the Byrd's song because I like it and I love scripture. But this post isn't about either. Sorry.

What is your favorite season? Since I am writing this in October you might think that my favorite season is Fall. Well, you would be correct. I LOVE Fall (aka Autumn.) I know some folks that love Summer the most, others love Spring while there are some that choose Winter as their favorite season. Do you think that your favorite season says something about who you are? There is some research that has been done on this topic but it is still a fairly new field of study.

Sarah Jio, in her blog, cites information from Dr. Scott Haltzman concerning favorite seasons. Dr. Haltzman is a well known psychiatrist and author. "Any scientific exploration of how people choose seasons must be colored by the fact that different seasons appear differently to those in different parts of the country," he notes. "For example, May days in the Northeast are glorious, while San Diego has very mild and warm winters, but a cloudy and gloomy month of May."

 Fall: You could be a risk taker, a bit of a wild child even. "The inconsistency of fall, and the dramatic colors and weather of the season tends to appeal to risk takers," he says. "For instance, when people choose what color clothes appeal to them, they are often unconsciously reflecting the colors in nature that appeal to them. In my clinical experience, individuals who wear bright colors or die their hair in off-beat shades often prefer fall as their favorite season." (If I had any hair, I might be tempted to color it some crazy shade.)

Winter: Break out the hot cocoa and a good book! Sound like your thing? "In my experience, people who say they favor winter are those who are less adventurous," he says. "They tend to be homebodies, and feel less comfortable when they are out of their element." (I would think those that love the Winter sports...skiing, snowboarding, skating, snowmobiling might declare winter as their favorite.)

Spring: If your favorite season involves waiting for the tulips to pop out of the ground, you're likely to be patient and easy going. "I think that individuals who are drawn to spring are less prone to seek immediate gratification," he says. "Like waiting for summer to unfold, they seem to enjoy a pace of life more low key than those who prefer summer or fall." (Masters Week in Augusta, Georgia makes NOT choosing Spring as the favorite very difficult.)

Summer: You're likely to be the life of the party--fun and lively. "People who are drawn to toward the sun, surf and open space of summer, for example, tend to be more outgoing," notes Haltzman. (Does anyone NOT love Summer? ...not my favorite, though.)

Cooler weather, baseball playoffs, football season, watching the leaves explode with color, camping, hiking, Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinner (and more football)...what's not to love about Fall?

So...what's your favorite and why?


You Can Read More of Sarah Jio's Blog At  http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2008/12/your-happiness-whats-your-favo.html#ixzz1ZsQwrRRH