Seasons Come Seasons Go

Inspirations, thoughts, phrases, and/or titles to things often come in surprising or weird ways. This morning I was walking my usual sidewalk. My brain seemed preoccupied with two things. One was the seasonal repeat of autumn leaves crunching underfoot, coming from above and blown about here, there and everywhere (almost recognizing last year’s patterns of which trees had shed their leaves in which places). The other was preoccupation with today’s Canuckle word which still had me baffled in the morning darkness. So I walked, waving a few neighbors off to work and a couple walking their dogs. On my mind was the no-brainer of autumn leaves and the brain-baffling word of the day!

When I got back in the house and into the kitchen, rubbing my hands trying for a quick warmup, I pulled my cellphone out of jacket pocket and gave it one more try in front of the coffeemaker. There it was: AGAIN! Fifth try, finally I got it! Such a simple ordinary five-lettered word inspired by that Canadian television show of the sixties, “On the Road Again.” Why hadn’t I thought of that earlier? One of the vowels is repeated - and it showcases unique stories and traditions of people living in this good country. So, vowels repeated and different episodes every day. AGAIN, what a nice Fun Fact word and theme for this day.

Seasonal occasions can be either repetitive mumble jumble or quite exciting. I’m glad each day presents a different word! If today's Canuckle word was same as October 18, 2023 I would have quit playing by now and probably the game would be dead! Repeat patterns must have something new or they die! I think of certain habits my wife and I nurture, now in retirement quite important to us. Every morning just before breakfast after I have had my morning walk (yes the morning walk a perfect remedy for my Type-2, and mental mindset for the day). [That plus prescriptions of course, pills – aagh]. Anyway, back to topic at hand, the morning ritual also includes lighting two candles, and then we read the devotional as outlined in a publication from our church denomination. I read the scriptures, she reads the devotional, and then one or the other of us leads the prayer. Oh, and that is ritually interrupted by a 5 minute timer to stir the porridge! The ritual is the routine, not necessarily the set time – one of the benefits of retirement scheduling! The scripture passages and the discussion and the morning moods are new each and every day. If within the ritual we were to read the same passage each day and repeat same prayer, it might be well dead by now.

I think also of other ‘almost’ rituals. I have been looking forward to beginning of the NHL Hockey Season. The only given is the schedule – and it is date/time specific all the way through until next April 17. So on time and on schedule the season has opened. This year already small variation at least for Edmonton Oilers fans. Opening night was already devoid of cheers because they lost the opener to Winnipeg Jets (6-0) and next game turnovers galore to last year’s lowest ranking Chicago Blackhawks (lost 5-2). Roster changes like first round draft pick Connor Bedard and the ho hum aging of star players like Connor McDavid do make a difference. [Note wins are also on record by now (2W 2L), including last night’s win against Nashville 4-2]. So the hockey season 2024-25, although set in time, is already different than last year. The ongoing life is in the wins – losses, the injuries and even the personal circumstances faced by players and coaches alike. On similar theme, the World Series are coming up. Repeat repeat, I remember listening to the series on radio during my high-school days. This year’s headline news, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees will square off! It’s been 43 years since that last happened! The Series still rolling along year after year, but would have been dead long time ago if there were not winners and losers, competitors (and fans!) in American and National League action during each and every season.

The coming and going of seasons and the life therein. In a recent sermon in church our pastor began with a reference that he labeled as bad news. Churches are dwindling; statisticians claiming that as per present rates of births, deaths, and church attendees, by 2040 the church may be extinct! “Ouch,” he says with that attention getter, and then moves on to tell us this most certainly is not our reason for being. We are not gathered to prop up a dead institution. The real reason for our gathering is to celebrate that we have the Messiah, as declared by Jesus’ eager student Peter in Matthew 16: ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  Are you here because of loyalty to a dead institution, or to experience the power and the presence of the One who is beyond times and seasons?" That was the timely question. Aah, I thought to myself, that's a good shaker-upper for us. 

Does this suggest we ignore times and seasons? No, we cannot ignore them, but it means we stop fussing and fretting about rise and fall of institutions, and also some institutionalized habits like camping season and winter holiday season and those other good life rhythms. The original meaning of times and seasons is not so much about our lifestyle seasons as about seasons of the year and also seasons of our life. Interestingly, my lifelong nescheah [i] in these last several retirement years has been providing some extra info on that as well. Our indigenous forebears cannot be forgotten any longer. I discover this via recent books read [ii] and also new friends. Rev Tony Snow, a United Church Minister and member of Calgary Interfaith Council, will remind us of seasonal  encounter with the living Messiah. This Messiah is available to each of us as trees and gardens go to sleep and wake up, as birds migrate and bears hibernate and emerge. The medicine wheel and ceremony is an expression of our dependence on Creator God ever present and available within the rhythm of seasons. Hai! Hai! All us Jewish and Muslim and Christian colonialists have so much to learn from Indigenous brothers and sisters. Seasons are a part of encounter with our living Creator God, and availed for our lives through none other than Jesus our Messiah. Here is reason for us to reach out to neighbors (all creatures great and small) with harmonious intent rather than preoccupation with individual rights and freedoms and political and religious polemics.

Again and again. Each time around there are new things to learn, until that day which will probably be beyond times and seasons.

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away (Revelation 21:1).

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[i] Low German for “nosey curious boy.”

[ii] See references by an Episcopalian Bishop, Dr. Steven Charleston, The Four Vision Quests of Jesus (New York: Morehouse Publishing, 2015) and also Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass (Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, 2013).