The Seasons of a Life

There is a springtime in every life,
when all is new and bright with wonder,
when the world stretches out in possibility
and every day brings something to discover.

There is a summer, full and warm,
when we build and love and gather close,
when the days are long and rich with purpose
and we hold dear the ones we cherish most.

There is an autumn, golden and reflective,
when the harvest of our years lies all around,
when we look back with thankful hearts
at the life and love that we have found.

And there is a winter, quiet and still,
when the world grows soft and slow,
when we rest from all our labours
and let the gentle darkness grow.

But seasons are not endings.
The winter holds the seed of spring.
And the love that filled a lifetime
is an everlasting, living thing.

So let us not say they are gone,
but rather that their season turned,
and all the warmth they brought to us
still lives in every lesson learned.