I went for a walk on Saturday morning through the trails of Schenley Park. It had been raining earlier and everything was just very sad and dreary looking, all browns and grays with very little color which made for a slightly depressing walk. I was wishing that it was fall again with the beautiful orange and red leaves, or the spring with sunshine and flowers. I would have even been okay with a hot sticky summer when the trees provide a lush covering of green shade over the trail. But no it is winter, without the pretty snow, and I was stuck with a boring and uninspiring walk ahead of me.
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| Schenley Park Trail |
This made me think that often time people talk about how we have different season's in our lives; don't stress this job is only for a season of your life, I guess that relationship was just for a season or things may be hard now but remember it is only for a season-things will get better. As I was contemplating all of this and thinking about this current winter season, I noticed a small bit of color off the trail to my right. There clinging to the bare brown branches were bright yellow and red berries.
The berries may not look like much, and in the spring, summer or fall they would get lost among all of the other colors of the woods. But in the winter, when everything is gone, these little berries stand to the forefront making their presence known. The little joys in life that may be over-looked when everything seems to be perfect, stand out as huge blessings during a season of winter in your life. A simple text from a friend who you haven't heard from in a while, getting a good deal on a new pair of boots or even the chance to sit and relax by yourself with a book at Starbucks can be just the blessings we need.
At the same time as I was walking along the trail, seeing these berries, thinking about winter and how I was going to write this blog post, a song came on my IPod that summed it all up:
Beautiful Things by Gungor
The chorus just hit home about how God can make beautiful things out of the dust, out of us. Even when we feel bleak and uninspiring like the woods in the winter, God can use us for a purpose and creates unexpected beauty just like the red and yellow berries. Blessings are all around us even in the winter when nothing seems to be going our way, we just need to stop and take the time to see them and praise God for all of the beautiful things.
