Pink Seasons

Most of you know what's up with the pink ribbon. For those of you who do not, it is for October being breast cancer awareness month. It is a noble deed to raise funds for research and aid to those affected by it. Wearing a pink ribbon is a way to show support for cancer patients and survivors. It is a worthy subject for anyone to post on their blog. Still I hesitate to tell you what it brings to my mind.


You see, I have seen a few pink seasons. I have worked in healthcare for 25+ years. Those seasons just come with the territory. I have lost count of the number of cancer patients that I have met through the years. From acquaintances to my own family members, I have seen the ravages of the disease.

I have an aunt that is a survivor of 20 years or more. She has also survived cervical cancer and numerous skin cancers. She is a real trooper and avid supporter of the cause. The treatment for her breast cancer was a radical mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. However, the cure was found in prayer and reliance on the Lord.

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. To say it was a rough year of treatment is putting it mildly. For her it was surgery, chemo, and radiation. It was getting dressed and going to appointments when she was too weak to even talk. It was pain, tears, and hardship. It was a pink season alright. Every thing was colored by the cancer. Daily activities were limited. Food took on different tastes. Smells made her sick. The times were difficult but not hopeless.

Mama just took it all in stride. She held fast to her faith in God. She was certain that He would put no more on her than she could bear. Though she was off work for most of a year, she was never late paying a bill. There was always food in the pantry and fridge. Many times she had to encourage me that all would be well.

A pink season indeed. I was living 1200 miles away. Married and working full time at the local hospital. My heart ached to be with her 24/7. It just wasn't an option at the time. But thanks to some generous co-workers and a compassionate supervisor I managed to make 6 seven day trips to Tennessee that year. My faith in a loving Savior gave me the strength to do whatever had to be done.

Mama went back to work cancer-free before the year was over. She was blessed to see 3 more years before the cancer returned. Cruel thing, metastatic cancer; it was breast cancer cells, but found in her bones, liver, and brain. Floods of emotion and memories of the previous bout could not keep her down. A stalwart in the faith, she kept her focus on Jesus. She kept the faith and finished her course on August 8, 2001.

Breast cancer took her flesh but it could not take her joy. She traded an earthly home for a heavenly one. As much as I miss her, I will see her again. Yes it is important to promote breast cancer awareness. But it is more important to proclaim Jesus as the cure for the body and soul; to preach a message of hope to all those experiencing a pink season.



Note to my family: If you feel that I was too personal in this post, please forgive me. I just wanted to honor the faith of our family and proclaim the faithfulness of our God.

The Beauty of Seasons

Seems that I just keep pondering on the theme of the seasons. The following is an excerpt from Singing Owl. She paints a picture of a place I would like to be. Go to The Owl's Song to read the full post.

Sunlight filtered through wind-tossed woods, casting dancing shadows across the highway. I almost expected the dappled light to scatter before my wheels like leaves. The trees, some flashing a spot of early red or gold, turned to farmland, red barns, and the occasional horses or cattle. The shadows of late afternoon stretched in elongated stripes, curving over the gentle contours of the fields. Except for the engine, it was quiet. I saw few vehicles and fewer people.

Stopping to stretch my legs, I stepped onto crunchy gravel at the side of the road. It was warm, even hot, but there was that awareness that fall is nearing--something in the breeze and the shadows and the sky. I gradually became aware of an almost undetectable sweetness in the air. Sniffing, I wondered what caused it--too mild to be called an aroma, exactly. Then I saw that on each of the four corners of the intersection was a different kind of crop.

To my rear on the left stood corn, tasseled and turning brown, loaded with ears that would become food for the cattle during winter. Behind me to the right the "spring green" of alfalfa grew in astonishing brilliance. In front to the left a field of soybeans, one of the loveliest crops imaginable, stretched to the horizon. In summer its leaves are a deep glossy green, but now they were turning to the characteristic mottled red, gold and yellow of fall. On the other corner stood a farmhouse. To the side of the wide lawn was a garden. Around the edges grew late-summer flowers--Gladiolas, Black-Eyed Susan's, Snapdragons, and many more I could not name. I was too far away to identify all of what remained in the garden, but I could see what I guessed were tomato plants along with the broad leaves of squash plants. I surmised that all these lovely growing things were what filled the air with that subtle freshness.

David at Pilgrim Scribblings shares a poem in his post about the seasons. One line that really strikes a cord with me is this one. "Summer is over and we can't call it back..."

Once we have passed through a season only the memories can be retrieved. The events of a season shape the season ahead. A hard freeze cuts down on the population of insects found in the spring. A springtime with ample rain and warm temperatures yeilds crops in abundance. A freeze in the springtime damages vegetation that is just beginning to bloom. A dry scorching summer is a sure obstacle for plant growth.

Spiritual seasons work in a similar fashion. Yet it is how we cope with the freeze that comes at the time of our budding. Or how we rebound from the drought that often follows the spiritual highs we experience. And yet another factor in our spiritual seasons has to do with the preparations we make to sustain ourselves in difficult times.

St.John chapter 15 tells us that He is the vine and we are the branches. He is the constant source of our life. We are never left alone in the seasons of our lives. Everything we need for growth is found in Him, but it our responsibility to seek Him, ask of Him, and receive from Him.

Seasons: David

This is a somewhat abbreviated sketch of David's life. For additional info see chabad.org or read everything between II Samuel chapter 16 and I Kings chapter 2. The on-line Jewish Encyclopedia is another great resource.


Personal seasons are easily seen throughout this list. Spiritual seasons are there but can be augmented by the Psalms of David. Please pardon the lack of scripture links. I figure the majority of this info is familiar to most. Only the references in Psalms are linked for you. For placement of the Psalms in the life of David, I used "The Chronological Bible" by Regal Publishers copyright 1977. For other references, use the Bible search link in my sidebar.


1. A man after God’s own heart I Samuel 13:14
2. Youngest of the 8 sons of Jesse I Samuel 16:10,11
3. Courageous shepherd I Samuel 17:34-36
4. Handsome I Samuel 16:12
5. Anointed to be king by Samuel the prophet I Samuel 16:12,13 Psalm 19 Psalm 8
6. Served as musician for King Saul I Samuel 16:14-23
7. Returned to his father’s house I 17:15
8. Became the champion of Israel by slaying Goliath I Samuel 17:25-53 Psalm 23
9. Admired by Jonathan, despised by King Saul I Samuel 18:1-9
10. Lived as a fugitive I Samuel 19 Psalm 59 Psalm 25
11. Displayed respect for the King in sparing his life I Samuel 24:1-15 Psalm 57 Psalm 108
and I Samuel 26:1-20 possible location of Psalm 7
12. Reigned as King of Judah in Hebron II Samuel 5:1-5
13. Became King of all of Israel II Samuel 5:3
14. Captured Jerusalem and made it the capitol city II Samuel 5:7 Psalm 118
15. God was with him and increased his territory II Samuel 5:10 I Chronicles 11:9
16. He took wives and concubines in II Samuel 5:13
17. Brought the ark to Jerusalem II Samuel 6:1-11 I Chronicles 15:1-29
18. Spurned by his wife Michal II Samuel 6:20-23
19. Enlarged the kingdom and won military victories II Samuel chs 8 &10
20. Committed adultery w/Bathsheba & had Uriah killed II Samuel chs 11 & 12
21. Rebuked by the prophet Nathan II Samuel chapter 12
22. Repented of his sins: Psalm 51 Psalm 32
23. Scorned by his son Absalom II Samuel chapters 15-18
24. Made preparations for building the temple I Chronicles 22:5,14
and I Chronicles 29:2
25. Forbidden to build the temple I Chronicles 28:3 Psalm 145
26. Appointed Solomon as his successor I Kings 1: 11-39
27. Charged Solomon regarding the kingdom and the temple I Kings 2:1-9
28. Died I Chronicles 29:26-28

When you read the accounts in the books of I and II Samuel, I Kings, and I Chronicles you get the facts of his circumstances. When you read the associated Psalms you can feel what he was feeling at the time. You can see the emotions including tears and rants. The Psalms reveal his spiritual condition and his faith in God. These are some of the recorded seasons of David's life.

Spiritual Seasons: Adam

Ask 5 people how they would define spiritual seasons and you would get 5 different answers. One might use qualifiers like lows, mediums, highs, or mountain tops. Someone else might use the terms ebbs and flows. Yet another might describe the seasons as dry or overflowing. Regardless how you label them, spiritual seasons do exist. They are part of God's plan to smooth our rough edges, purify our hearts, equip us for service, and adorn us as His bride.

This study will in no way be exhaustive. My point is to sketch out the seasons in the lives of some biblical characters. Then to take note of the transition factors, and the cyclical nature of the seasons. Finally, I hope to draw some insight as to what was to be learned or accomplished within each season.

Let's start with Adam. His first spiritual season had to have been his best. He walked and talked with God. No inhibitions, no upsets, nothing to hinder their relationship in any way. Must have been serene. Then....

Seasons change. Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Adam recognized his nakedness and he hid from God. The relationship became strained. God added to Adam's fear when He asked, "where art thou?" God knew Adam's whereabouts, but Adam didn't know that God knew.

Cursed by God, Adam learned of sorrow. Then he was separated from the garden and his Creator. Alienated from God, what a dismal season of one's own choosing.

Little is known about the rest of Adam's 930 years. Most every other reference to him is negative. In Eve's responses to the births of Cain and Seth, she acknowledged God as the giver of life. Given the record of Cain and Abel and their worship, we understand that they were knowledeable of God and were able to converse with Him. With this in mind, it is reasonable to assume that God still communicated with Adam and Eve. He instituted animal sacrifice as a means of covering their physical bodies and their sins against Him.

Adam had a long life and no doubt experienced spiritual seasons. Did he learn from his mistakes? There is no actual record of Adam being reconciled to God.

Seasons Change

Weather seasons change. God made the Earth and solar system to work that way. Genesis 1:14 states: "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:" In most areas of the world there are 4 seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Each having their own distinctions. In some places the seasons are more readily identified than others. The physical variances in the atmospheric temperature and the changes in the Earth's vegetation are the most obvious signs of each division.


But what of spiritual seasons? They do exist, but are they meant to be? Like the seasons of the Earth, there are notable physical signs of change that occur with each spiritual season. The causes of spiritual highs and lows are infinite. What ushers in a climate change for me may not affect you in any way. I'm not sure I even want to breach the subject, but it has been on my mind for awhile. Last week's Friday Five seemed to be a goad for me to begin this series of posts.

Bring on the comments, open the box, stir things up a little, and then we will see how the dust settles on this one.