Today I received a letter from World Vision that our sponsored child is graduating from school, and the program. His name is Papa Sampa. That caught our attention as we were choosing another child to sponsor. In our family my husband Jim, was better known as Papa.

We sponsored Papa in 2011. We have sponsored children with World Vision since the early 90s.

After Jim passed away, I decided to stay with Papa Sampa until he graduated. Well, this is that time. As I opened the letter and read it, I was suddenly overwhelmed with a ball of emotions. Kind of like the emotions that hit me in the fall. As the leaves turn colors and fall to the ground. It has always been a sentimental time for me. I think much of it is knowing the cold weather is coming. Even though temperature wise I am more comfortable in the cold. You can always put on more clothes in December, you can only take off so much in July 😊

The fact that my husband passed away in December, four days before Christmas, December 21^st Winter Solstice. The longest night of the calendar year, and the first day of Winter.

None of these facts have changed my lack of fondness for Winter. Though I don’t hate it all. I love the beauty of the snow on the branches, or big flake falling snow, or the sound of snow crunching under your feet. I would love it more if it came and went in 4 or 5 weeks, and not 4 or 5 months. But it’s only for a season. I find now as much as I dislike our long winters, it’s a bit sad each time one ends.

This is all a reality check in my soul. Life has its seasons. As the sponsorship of Papa Sampas closes, so does another thing my husband and I chose together to do. We would read his report cards. Each new picture showed how much he had grown. So honored to be a part, and yet the closure of this season isn’t going unnoticed.

I am going to pause her to insert a Poem, I wrote for a friend after the unexpected death of her son in the late 70s

                                        Promise of the Spring

I sit here with a mental thought,

Of the clouded winter sky.

When all the living things of earth

have taken their turn to die.

The crusty snow provides a cover,

For the ground so hard and cold.

The trees are bare, with branches seen.

They look so stripped and old.

You wonder then if they’ll make it back,

to hold the birds that sing.

But it seems they have inside of them,

the “promise of the spring”

when death takes someone close.

All seems dark and cold.

The empty uselessness remains.

Despite what we are told.

We fear the cold will last forever!

Gray clouds will always fill the sky.

The one we loved is dead and gone.

We’re left behind to say, Goodbye.

Someone you held so close to you,

Has gone where angels sing.

Hold on tight; because with tomorrow,

comes the Promise of the Spring.

.

Papa’s graduation reminds me, that every season has a beginning, and an end.

Remember when you were younger, and you couldn’t wait to go to school. I attended a small country school. Four grades upstairs, and four down. I remember the excitement when I passed another grade, and could move upstairs.

I remember being excited about eating a hot lunch at school. I remember many conversations with our kids, grandkids and foster that DID NOT want to eat hot lunch. They wanted to pack their lunch. Yup! Seasons come, and seasons go.

Remember how we couldn’t wait to wear a bra.

Then of course there was what the (older than me generation) called your monthly period. THE CURSE!  Why were we all in such a hurry to be cursed.😊 Though I remember it used to help get you out of those terrible public after gym showers.

Then of course Graduation Day. We went from excitement about walking across the stage, to the dream of walking down the aisle.

Then you couldn’t wait to have kids, then you couldn’t wait to not have kids 😊   The seasons!

 A Bible verse Galatians 6:9

While the earth is still here. There will be seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.   Seasons. 

As I sit and recall the seasons of my life, it seems each of them included kids. I was # 8, and 12 more joined us in the years following that. I hate being a number, but for frame of reference I will refer to birth order here.

I had 5 older brothers, and 2 older sisters. I don’t remember the loss of my first sibling #9 Doris Mae. I was only 14 months old when she passed away, of what was then referred to as crib death. My next brother wasn’t born for another 18 months, which meant I was the baby for 2 ½ yrs. A very rare position to hold in my family.

My youngest brother Marty Jo, drowned at age 15. He was # 20, the baby of the family.  Brother Ed # 6 passed away at 59 with stomach cancer. Sister Iris # 7 age 60 passed away from complications of diabetes. Then in 2018 the baby girl of the family Brenda Gay passed away from colon cancer. The day she passed away my husband ended up in ICU. So hard to figure for this moment, where do I belong? Our daughter Sara stayed with her dad, so I could attend the funeral.

I have 14 siblings left.  Six of us have buried our spouses. Each person was a loss, each loss had it’s season.

I started teaching Sunday School at age 14. I remember my first teacher’s meeting. When we were asked if we needed anything, I replied “Yes seatbelts.” I taught 5-, 6- and 7-year-olds.

I got to thinking today, I wonder when seatbelts were first a thing. So I asked our Big Brother Google, and found some very interesting information.

(Information as follows)

Sept. 25, 1961, Wisconsin became the first state to require seatbelts in the front seats of cars in all models built in and after 1962. The first Wisconsin car manufacture was The Nash Motor Co in Kenosha, WI. Brand new $4300.00

  (I am a bit of an information junkie.)

My daughter Autumn has asked me. “Why do you know dumb stuff.?”

Of the 7 kids in that Sunday School class, only 4 lived to celebrate their 18^th

birthday. So, we need to remember, everything we do matters to someone.

Our lives most likely will only intersect for a season.

I was married at age 20. My husband and I worked a lot with Sunday school, Childrens church and kid’s camp.

We were foster Parents to over 40 children.

We have 3 grown children. 8 adult Grandchildren. We have 3 ++ Great grands. Generations with seasons.

In 2012, I along with 4 others began a ministry to Moms and their children, that for many different reasons found themselves homeless. There is now a Woman’s shelter in Sun Prairie. I stopped my physical involvement when my husband got sick. Another rough but rewarding season.

Then there was the death of my husband, ending a 48 ½ year season.

Life isn’t really made up of days, months and years. Rather of Seasons, seasons full of moments.

I will end with this quote  

“Some people come into our lives, and quickly go. But others stay long enough to leave footprints on our heart, and we are never again the same.” Author Flavia Weedn.

  Seasons of footprints

Blessings Thanks for reading!

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For those interested in some verses from the Bible about Seasons

Read Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8