By Sister Vicki Bergkamp, ASC
I grew up in the wheat fields of Kansas where the word harvest was used for the June harvesting of the wheat. But like all small farmers, there were many other crops that came and went throughout the summer and fall.
Late summer and well into fall there is that experience of the abundance that comes with the season of harvest. Recently I have seen pictures of people sharing their harvest. Tables and chairs covered with tomatoes, peppers, and squash waiting to be shared! It is a beautiful sight, a wonderful reminder of abundance in our lives.
That celebration of the abundance of harvest follows the organic cycle of planting the seed, nurturing it, waiting for it to grow, to bloom, to generate the fruit of the plant. There is a lot of waiting. It requires belief in that little seed. It demands attention and nurturing. It calls us to be patient.
Unfortunately, the technology of manufacturing and Wi-Fi do not use the same model of the seasons. We get used to expecting constant abundance and then we are most liable to be disappointed. It is not what I expected or it is not as fast as I thought it would be. When that happens, it is time to check our expectations, to remember the seasons found in nature, to experience times of waiting, times of change, times of abundance, times of loss.
In recent years, there has been discussion, research, and sharing about mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined as the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we are doing, and not be overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
We all know the challenge of living in the moment, of being mindful. It helps me to remember the seasons of our lives, to remember, to claim the season I am in, not the one I want to be in.
May this be a good season in your life!